Critical Contrast: WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) and FRP (NASDAQ:FRPH)

FRP (NASDAQ:FRPH) and WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, profitability, valuation and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares FRP and WillScot’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
FRP	2.16%	0.29%	0.18%
WillScot	-2.99%	20.65%	3.31%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

45.4% of FRP shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.8% of WillScot shares are owned by institutional investors. 24.0% of FRP shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.4% of WillScot shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

FRP has a beta of 0.51, suggesting that its stock price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, WillScot has a beta of 1.32, suggesting that its stock price is 32% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for FRP and WillScot, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
FRP	1	0	0	0	1.00
WillScot	1	7	3	0	2.18

WillScot has a consensus target price of $26.25, indicating a potential upside of 9.24%. Given WillScot’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe WillScot is more favorable than FRP.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares FRP and WillScot”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
FRP	$42.85 million	10.12	$3.33 million	$0.04	565.25
WillScot	$2.28 billion	1.90	-$52.99 million	($0.38)	-63.24

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

Summary

WillScot beats FRP on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About FRP

FRP Holdings, Inc. engages in the real estate business in the United States. It operates through four segments: Industrial and Commercial, Mining Royalty Lands, Development, and Multifamily. The Industrial and Commercial segment owns, leases, and manages commercial properties. The Mining Royalty Lands segment leases and manages mining royalties owned by the company primarily in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia. The Development segment owns and monitors the use of parcels of land that are in various stages of development; and acquires, constructs, and develops primarily for apartment, retail, warehouse, and office buildings. The Multifamily segment owns, leases, and manages buildings through joint ventures. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is based in Jacksonville, Florida.

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.