Contrasting Ajinomoto (OTCMKTS:AJINY) and Bunzl (OTCMKTS:BZLFY)

Bunzl (OTCMKTS:BZLFY) and Ajinomoto (OTCMKTS:AJINY) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Bunzl and Ajinomoto’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bunzl	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ajinomoto	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.1% of Bunzl shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Bunzl shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Bunzl pays an annual dividend of $0.69 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. Ajinomoto pays an annual dividend of $0.18 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Ajinomoto pays out 21.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Volatility & Risk

Bunzl has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ajinomoto has a beta of 0.5, indicating that its stock price is 50% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Bunzl and Ajinomoto, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bunzl	0	3	2	0	2.40
Ajinomoto	0	1	0	0	2.00

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Bunzl and Ajinomoto”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bunzl	$15.62 billion	0.74	$605.55 million	N/A	N/A
Ajinomoto	$10.05 billion	2.72	$463.80 million	$0.83	33.69

Bunzl has higher revenue and earnings than Ajinomoto.

Summary

Bunzl beats Ajinomoto on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bunzl

Bunzl plc operates as a distribution and services company in the North America, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company offers food packaging, films, labels, cleaning and hygiene supplies, and personal protection equipment to grocery stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores. It also provides food packaging, disposable tableware, guest amenities, catering equipment, agricultural supplies, cleaning and hygiene products, and safety items to hotels, restaurants, contract caterers, food processors, commercial growers, and the leisure sector; and gloves, boots, hard hats, ear and eye protection, and other workwear, as well as cleaning and hygiene supplies, and asset protection products to industrial and construction, and ecommerce sectors. In addition, the company offers chemicals and hygiene paper to cleaning and facilities management companies, and industrial and public sector customers; gloves, masks, swabs, gowns, bandages, and other healthcare related equipment; and healthcare devices to hospitals, care homes, and other facilities serving the healthcare sector. Further, it provides packaging and other store supplies to retail chains, boutiques, department stores, home improvement chains, office supply companies, and related e-commerce sales channels. Bunzl plc was founded in 1854 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

About Ajinomoto

Ajinomoto Co., Inc. engages in the seasonings and foods, frozen foods, and healthcare and other businesses in Japan and internationally. The Seasonings and Foods segment offers sauces and seasoning products under the AJI-NO-MOTO, HON-DASHI, Cook Do, Ajinomoto KK Consommé, Pure Select Mayonnaise, Ros Dee, Masako, Aji-ngon, Sazón, Sajiku, and CRISPY FRY names; and solutions and ingredients for foodservice and processed food manufacturers, processed foods, and restaurants, as well as industrial, retail, and other applications. This segment also provides instant noodles under the Knorr Cup Soup and YumYum names; coffee beverages under the Birdy and Blendy brands; powdered drink under the Birdy 3in1 name; MAXIM brand products; Chyotto Zeitakuna Kohiten brand products; and gift sets and office supplies comprising coffee vending machines, tea servers, etc. The Frozen Foods segment offers Chinese dumplings, cooked rice, noodles, desserts, shumai, processed chicken, and other products under the AJINOMOTO FRESH FROZEN, Bernardi, FRED’S, Golden Tiger, José Olé, LingLing, POSADA, and TAI PEI brands. The Healthcare and Other segment provides amino acids for applications in various industries, such as pharmaceuticals and foods; contract development and manufacturing services for pharmaceutical intermediates and active ingredients, aseptic fill finish services, etc.; personal care ingredients; and medical foods, crop services, etc. This segment also offers Ajinomoto Build-up Film, an interlayer insulating material for semiconductor packages; fundamental foods under the Glyna and Amino Aile names; sports nutrition supplements under the amino VITAL brand; and functional materials, such as activated carbon, release paper, etc. Ajinomoto Co., Inc. was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.