Reviewing Traeger (NYSE:COOK) and Lifetime Brands (NASDAQ:LCUT)

Lifetime Brands (NASDAQ:LCUT) and Traeger (NYSE:COOK) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, valuation, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Lifetime Brands and Traeger”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lifetime Brands	$647.93 million	0.31	-$26.94 million	($1.27)	-6.84
Traeger	$510.30 million	0.37	-$115.18 million	($41.92)	-1.64

Lifetime Brands has higher revenue and earnings than Traeger. Lifetime Brands is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Traeger, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Lifetime Brands and Traeger, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lifetime Brands	1	2	1	0	2.00
Traeger	1	4	1	1	2.29

Lifetime Brands presently has a consensus price target of $8.00, suggesting a potential downside of 7.88%. Traeger has a consensus price target of $50.08, suggesting a potential downside of 27.03%. Given Lifetime Brands’ higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Lifetime Brands is more favorable than Traeger.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

40.6% of Lifetime Brands shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 46.8% of Traeger shares are held by institutional investors. 44.4% of Lifetime Brands shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 16.2% of Traeger shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Lifetime Brands and Traeger’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lifetime Brands	-4.22%	8.01%	2.76%
Traeger	-21.84%	-13.76%	-3.95%

Risk & Volatility

Lifetime Brands has a beta of 1, meaning that its stock price has a similar volatility profile to the S&P 500.Comparatively, Traeger has a beta of 1.95, meaning that its stock price is 95% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Lifetime Brands beats Traeger on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lifetime Brands

Lifetime Brands, Inc. designs, sources, and sells branded kitchenware, tableware, and other products for use in the home in the worldwide. The company provides kitchenware products, including kitchen tools and gadgets, cutlery, kitchen scales, thermometers, cutting boards, shears, cookware, pantryware, spice racks, and bakeware; and tableware products comprising dinnerware, stemware, flatware, and giftware. It also provides home solutions, such as thermal beverageware, bath scales, weather and outdoor household, food storage, neoprene travel, and home décor products. The company owns or licenses various brands, including the Farberware, Mikasa, Taylor, KitchenAid, Pfaltzgraff, BUILT NY, Rabbit, Kamenstein, S’well, and Fred & Friends. It serves mass market merchants, specialty stores, department stores, warehouse clubs, grocery stores, off-price retailers, food service distributors, food and beverage outlets, and e-commerce. The company sells its products directly, as well as through its retail websites. Lifetime Brands, Inc. was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Garden City, New York.

About Traeger

Traeger, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, sources, sells, and supports wood pellet fueled barbecue grills for retailers, distributors, and direct to consumers in the United States. Its wood pellet grills are internet of things devices that allow owners to program, monitor, and control their grill through its Traeger app. The company also produces a library of digital content, including instructional recipes and videos that demonstrate tips, tricks, and cooking techniques that empower Traeger owners to progress their cooking skills; and short- and long-form branded content highlighting stories, community members, and lifestyle content from the Traegerhood. In addition, it provides wood pellets that are used to fire the grills; rubs, spices, and sauces; accessories, such as pop-and-lock accessory rail covers, drip trays, bucket liners, storage bins, and shelves; tools to aid in meal prep, cooking, and cleanup, including pellet storage systems, cleaning solutions, barbecue tools, and MEATER smart thermometer; replacement parts; and apparel and merchandise, including t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, and baseball hats. Traeger, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.