Contrasting Rexford Industrial Realty (NYSE:REXR) and Americold Realty Trust (NYSE:COLD)

Rexford Industrial Realty (NYSE:REXR) and Americold Realty Trust (NYSE:COLD) are both mid-cap real estate companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, valuation, dividends and institutional ownership.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Rexford Industrial Realty and Americold Realty Trust”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Rexford Industrial Realty	$977.78 million	8.22	$212.03 million	($2.11)	-17.96
Americold Realty Trust	$2.64 billion	1.74	-$114.55 million	$0.83	19.37

Rexford Industrial Realty has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Americold Realty Trust. Rexford Industrial Realty is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Americold Realty Trust, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility & Risk

Rexford Industrial Realty has a beta of 1.11, suggesting that its share price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Americold Realty Trust has a beta of 0.93, suggesting that its share price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Rexford Industrial Realty pays an annual dividend of $1.74 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.6%. Americold Realty Trust pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.7%. Rexford Industrial Realty pays out -82.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Americold Realty Trust pays out 110.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Rexford Industrial Realty has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years and Americold Realty Trust has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

99.5% of Rexford Industrial Realty shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.1% of Americold Realty Trust shares are held by institutional investors. 1.8% of Rexford Industrial Realty shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Americold Realty Trust shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Rexford Industrial Realty and Americold Realty Trust’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Rexford Industrial Realty	-47.15%	-5.72%	-3.89%
Americold Realty Trust	9.03%	8.44%	3.03%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Rexford Industrial Realty and Americold Realty Trust, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Rexford Industrial Realty	3	5	7	0	2.27
Americold Realty Trust	2	9	5	0	2.19

Rexford Industrial Realty currently has a consensus target price of $41.14, indicating a potential upside of 8.55%. Americold Realty Trust has a consensus target price of $15.46, indicating a potential downside of 3.80%. Given Rexford Industrial Realty’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Rexford Industrial Realty is more favorable than Americold Realty Trust.

Summary

Rexford Industrial Realty beats Americold Realty Trust on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Rexford Industrial Realty

Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. is a real estate investment trust that owns, operates, acquires, develops and redevelops industrial properties. Its portfolio primarily serves businesses that need warehouse, distribution, manufacturing and other industrial space. The company focuses on infill markets in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, the Inland Empire and Ventura County. Its strategy centers on properties in established areas with access to customers, workers and transportation networks.

About Americold Realty Trust

Americold Realty Trust is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates temperature-controlled warehouses and provides logistics services for the food supply chain. Its facilities help customers store and move perishable products, including food produced by manufacturers and processors and products distributed to retailers and food-service businesses. The company offers refrigerated and frozen storage, handling, transportation and other supply chain services. It also manages temperature-controlled facilities for third parties, combining warehouse space with operational support for customers’ distribution needs.