Head to Head Review: Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) vs. Canadian Tire (OTCMKTS:CDNTF)

Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) and Canadian Tire (OTCMKTS:CDNTF) are both consumer cyclical companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Five Below and Canadian Tire, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Five Below	1	13	7	0	2.29
Canadian Tire	0	0	0	0	N/A

Five Below presently has a consensus price target of $109.45, indicating a potential upside of 16.45%. Given Five Below’s higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Five Below is more favorable than Canadian Tire.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Five Below and Canadian Tire”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Five Below	$3.72 billion	1.39	$301.11 million	$5.32	17.67
Canadian Tire	N/A	N/A	N/A	$7.48	23.45

Five Below has higher revenue and earnings than Canadian Tire. Five Below is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Canadian Tire, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Five Below and Canadian Tire’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Five Below	7.57%	18.16%	7.22%
Canadian Tire	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider & Institutional Ownership

2.2% of Canadian Tire shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.9% of Five Below shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Five Below beats Canadian Tire on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Five Below

Five Below, Inc. operates as a specialty value retailer in the United States. The company offers range of accessories, which includes novelty socks, sunglasses, jewelry, scarves, gloves, hair accessories, athletic tops and bottoms, and t-shirts, as well as nail polish, lip gloss, fragrance, and branded cosmetics; and personalized living space products, such as lamps, posters, frames, fleece blankets, plush items, pillows, candles, incense, lighting, novelty décor, accent furniture, and related items, as well as provides storage options. It provides assortment of sports balls, team sports merchandise, and fitness accessories comprising hand weights, jump ropes, and gym balls; various games, such as board games, puzzles, collectibles, and toys, including remote control; and summer season sports, which includes pool, beach, and outdoor toys, as well as games and accessories. In addition, the company offers accessories for cell phones, tablets, audio, and computers, as well as cases, chargers, headphones, and other related items; and media products including books, video games, and DVDs. It also provides assortment of craft activity kits, and arts and crafts supplies, such as crayons, markers, and stickers; and school products comprising backpacks, fashion notebooks and journals, novelty pens and pencils, and locker accessories. Further, the company offers party products, which includes party goods, decorations, gag gifts, and greeting cards, as well as every day and special occasion merchandise; assortment of classic and novelty candy bars, movie-size box candy, seasonal-related candy, and gum and snack food products, as well as sells chilled drinks through coolers; and provides seasonally specific items used to celebrate and decorate for events. The company was formerly known as Cheap Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Five Below, Inc. in August 2002. Five Below, Inc. was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

About Canadian Tire

Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited provides a range of retail goods and services in Canada. It operates in three segments: Retail, CT REIT, and Financial Services. The Retail segment retails automotive maintenance products and accessories, parts, and tires, as well as automotive services and roadside assistance; electrical, hardware, home environment, paint, plumbing, and tool products; cleaning, food & drink, home décor, home essentials, home organization, kitchen, and pet care products; camping, exercise, hockey, hunting, fishing, seasonal recreation, and team sports and golf products; and backyard living, backyard fun, cycling, gardening, outdoor tools, seasonal, and toy products. This segment offers its products under the Canadian Tire, Canadian Tire Gas, Pro Hockey Life, Mark's, PartSource, Helly Hansen, Party City, and SportChek brand names. This segment also participates in loyalty programs, as well as sells its products online. The CT REIT segment operates as a closed-end real estate investment trust that holds a portfolio of properties comprising Canadian Tire stores, Canadian Tire anchored retail developments, industrial properties, mixed-use commercial property, and development properties. The Financial Services segment provides consumer credit cards, in-store financing, insurance products, and retail and broker deposits; and savings accounts and guaranteed investment certificates. Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.