Head-To-Head Analysis: Acuity (NYSE:AYI) vs. Caravelle International Group (NASDAQ:HTCO)

Acuity (NYSE:AYI) and Caravelle International Group (NASDAQ:HTCO) are both business services companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, risk and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Acuity and Caravelle International Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Acuity	9.37%	20.74%	12.20%
Caravelle International Group	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility & Risk

Acuity has a beta of 1.42, suggesting that its share price is 42% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Caravelle International Group has a beta of -0.46, suggesting that its share price is 146% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Acuity and Caravelle International Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Acuity	0	4	5	0	2.56
Caravelle International Group	1	0	0	0	1.00

Acuity currently has a consensus target price of $369.17, indicating a potential upside of 37.67%. Given Acuity’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Acuity is more favorable than Caravelle International Group.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

98.2% of Acuity shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.2% of Caravelle International Group shares are held by institutional investors. 2.9% of Acuity shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 8.4% of Caravelle International Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Acuity and Caravelle International Group”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Acuity	$4.35 billion	1.89	$396.60 million	$13.64	19.66
Caravelle International Group	$214.42 million	0.24	-$21.46 million	N/A	N/A

Acuity has higher revenue and earnings than Caravelle International Group.

Summary

Acuity beats Caravelle International Group on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Acuity

Acuity Brands, Inc. provides lighting, lighting controls, building management system, location-aware applications in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Acuity Brands Lighting and Lighting Controls (ABL); and the Intelligent Spaces Group (ISG). The ABL segment provides commercial, architectural, and specialty lighting solutions, as well as lighting controls and components for various indoor and outdoor applications under the A-Light, Aculux, American Electric Lighting, Cyclone, Dark to Light, eldoLED, Eureka, Gotham, Healthcare Lighting, Holophane, Hydrel, Indy, IOTA, Juno, Lithonia Lighting, Luminaire LED, Luminis, Mark Architectural Lighting, nLight, OPTOTRONIC, Peerless, RELOCWiring Solutions, and Sensor Switch. This segment serves electrical distributors, retail home improvement centers, electric utilities, national accounts, original equipment manufacturers, digital retailers, lighting showrooms, and energy service companies. The ISG segment offers building management solutions, such as products for controlling heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, shades, refrigeration, and building access that deliver end-to-end optimization of those building systems; and building management software that enhances building system management and automates labor intensive tasks. This segment serves system integrators, as well as retail stores, airports, and enterprise campuses. The company offers its products and solutions under the Atrius, Distech Controls, and KE2 Therm Solutions brands. Acuity Brands, Inc. was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

About Caravelle International Group

Caravelle International Group, through its subsidiaries, provides ocean transportation services in Singapore and internationally. The company operates through Ocean Transportation and Heating Business segments. It provides international shipping services and carbon-neutral solutions for wood desiccation. Caravelle International Group also provides seaborne transportation services under the voyage contracts. The company provides vessel services on behalf of ship owners. Caravelle International Group is headquartered in Singapore.