J. W. Mays (NASDAQ:MAYS – Get Free Report) and WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, risk and dividends.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
3.2% of J. W. Mays shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.8% of WillScot shares are owned by institutional investors. 40.8% of J. W. Mays shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.1% of WillScot shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Volatility & Risk
J. W. Mays has a beta of 0.16, indicating that its share price is 84% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, WillScot has a beta of 1.31, indicating that its share price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Valuation and Earnings
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| J. W. Mays | $22.47 million | 3.79 | -$140,000.00 | ($0.43) | -98.01 |
| WillScot | $2.28 billion | 1.94 | -$52.99 million | ($0.38) | -64.42 |
J. W. Mays has higher earnings, but lower revenue than WillScot. J. W. Mays is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than WillScot, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for J. W. Mays and WillScot, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| J. W. Mays | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
| WillScot | 1 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2.18 |
WillScot has a consensus target price of $25.88, suggesting a potential upside of 5.70%. Given WillScot’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe WillScot is more favorable than J. W. Mays.
Profitability
This table compares J. W. Mays and WillScot’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| J. W. Mays | -3.90% | -1.62% | -0.96% |
| WillScot | -2.99% | 20.65% | 3.31% |
Summary
WillScot beats J. W. Mays on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About J. W. Mays
J.W. Mays, Inc. owns, operates, and leases commercial real estate properties in United States. The company's properties are located in Brooklyn, Jamaica, Fishkill, Levittown, and Massapequa of New York; and Circleville of Ohio. The company was founded in 1924 and is based in Brooklyn, New York.
About WillScot
WillScot Holdings Corporation provides workspace and portable storage solutions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It operates in two segments, Modular Solutions and Storage Solutions. Its modular solutions include panelized and stackable offices, single-wide modular space units, section modulars and redi-plex, classrooms, ground level offices, blast-resistant modules, clearspan structures, and other modular space; and portable storage solutions, such as portable and cold storage containers, as well as trailers. The company leases modular space and portable storage units to customers in the construction, commercial and industrial, retail and wholesale trade, energy and natural resources, education, government and institutions, and healthcare markets. The company offers its solutions primarily under the WillScot and Mobile Mini brand names. The company was formerly known as WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. and changed its name to WillScot Holdings Corporation in July 2024. WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
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