Head to Head Survey: LSL Property Services (OTCMKTS:LSLPF) and Alexander & Baldwin (NYSE:ALEX)

LSL Property Services (OTCMKTS:LSLPF) and Alexander & Baldwin (NYSE:ALEX) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, dividends and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares LSL Property Services and Alexander & Baldwin’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LSL Property Services	N/A	N/A	N/A
Alexander & Baldwin	19.64%	5.93%	3.62%

Risk and Volatility

LSL Property Services has a beta of 0.94, suggesting that its share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Alexander & Baldwin has a beta of 1.27, suggesting that its share price is 27% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for LSL Property Services and Alexander & Baldwin, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LSL Property Services	0	0	0	0	0.00
Alexander & Baldwin	0	0	2	0	3.00

Alexander & Baldwin has a consensus target price of $22.50, suggesting a potential upside of 20.68%. Given Alexander & Baldwin’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Alexander & Baldwin is more favorable than LSL Property Services.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares LSL Property Services and Alexander & Baldwin”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LSL Property Services	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Alexander & Baldwin	$227.09 million	5.96	$29.80 million	$0.62	30.07

Alexander & Baldwin has higher revenue and earnings than LSL Property Services.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

91.3% of Alexander & Baldwin shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of Alexander & Baldwin shares are held by company 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.

Summary

Alexander & Baldwin beats LSL Property Services on 10 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LSL Property Services

LSL Property Services plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of business-to-business services to mortgage intermediaries and estate agency franchisees, and valuation services to lenders in the United Kingdom. The company operates through three segments: Financial Services, Surveying & Valuation, and Estate Agency Franchising. The Financial Services segment offers compliance and other services to mortgage and insurance networks. The Surveying & Valuation segment provides valuations and professional surveying services of residential properties to various lenders and individual customers; data services to lenders; and asset management services, including managing the sale of residential properties on behalf of corporate clients and property investors. The Estate Agency Franchising segment offers brand marketing, and commercial and information technology support services under brands, including Your Move and Reeds Rains, as well as various local brands; repossession services; and conveyancing panel management and support services to its franchisees and their customers. It also offers business and domestic software development; and conveyancing packaging services. The company was incorporated in 2004 and is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, the United Kingdom.

About Alexander & Baldwin

Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. (NYSE: ALEX) (A&B) is the only publicly-traded real estate investment trust to focus exclusively on Hawai’i commercial real estate and is the state’s largest owner of grocery-anchored, neighborhood shopping centers. A&B owns, operates and manages approximately 3.9 million square feet of commercial space in Hawai’i, including 22 retail centers, 13 industrial assets and four office properties, as well as 142.0 acres of ground lease assets. A&B is expanding and strengthening its CRE portfolio and achieving its strategic focus on commercial real estate in Hawai’i. Over its 154-year history, A&B has evolved with the state’s economy and played a leadership role in the development of the agricultural, transportation, tourism, construction, residential and commercial real estate industries.