Monotaro (OTCMKTS:MONOY) and Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) Critical Contrast

Monotaro (OTCMKTS:MONOY) and Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Monotaro and Maplebear’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Monotaro	9.57%	33.81%	23.76%
Maplebear	14.09%	15.72%	11.78%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.1% of Monotaro shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 63.1% of Maplebear shares are held by institutional investors. 26.0% of Maplebear shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Monotaro and Maplebear”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Monotaro	$1.91 billion	3.67	$173.82 million	$0.50	27.92
Maplebear	$3.38 billion	2.99	$457.00 million	$1.82	21.10

Maplebear has higher revenue and earnings than Monotaro. Maplebear is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Monotaro, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility & Risk

Monotaro has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its share price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Maplebear has a beta of 0.97, suggesting that its share price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Monotaro and Maplebear, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Monotaro	0	2	0	0	2.00
Maplebear	3	11	15	0	2.41

Maplebear has a consensus price target of $51.73, indicating a potential upside of 34.68%. Given Maplebear’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Maplebear is more favorable than Monotaro.

Summary

Maplebear beats Monotaro on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Monotaro

MonotaRO Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, operates an online MRO products store in Japan and internationally. The company offers safety protective equipment, work clothes, and safety shoes; logistics, storage, and packing supplies; tapes; safety, disaster prevention, and crime prevention products; safety signs; ship and fishing supplies; office supplies; office furniture/lighting/cleaning supplies; cutting tools and abrasives; measurement and surveying equipment; hand tools/electric and pneumatic tools; sprays, oils, greases, and paints; adhesives and repair materials; welding supplies; and piping and water related components/pumps/pneumatic and hydraulic equipment/hoses. It also provides mechanical parts; control equipment; soldering and anti-static products; architectural hardware, building materials, painting, and interior supplies; air conditioning and electrical equipment; electrical materials; screws, bolts, nails, and materials; automotive supplies; truck supplies; motorcycle supplies; bicycle supplies; scientific research and development supplies; clean room supplies; kitchen equipment and store supplies; agricultural and gardening supplies; and medical and nursing supplies. It serves factories, construction, automobile maintenance, and other industries. The company was formerly known as Sumisho Grainger Co., Ltd. and changed its name to MonotaRO Co., Ltd. in February 2006. The company was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Osaka, Japan. MonotaRO Co., Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of Grainger Global Holdings, Inc.

About Maplebear

Maplebear Inc., doing business as Instacart, engages in the provision of online grocery shopping services to households in North America. It sells and delivers grocery products, as well as pickup services through a mobile application and website. It also operates virtual convenience stores; and provides software-as-a-service solutions to retailers. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is based in San Francisco, California.