Critical Survey: Almacenes Éxito (NYSE:EXTO) versus Big Lots (NYSE:BIG)

Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) and Almacenes Éxito (NYSE:EXTO) are both small-cap retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation and profitability.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Big Lots and Almacenes Éxito, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Big Lots	3	2	0	0	1.40
Almacenes Éxito	0	0	0	0	N/A

Big Lots currently has a consensus target price of $3.20, indicating a potential upside of 253.86%. Given Big Lots’ higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Big Lots is more favorable than Almacenes Éxito.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Big Lots and Almacenes Éxito’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Big Lots	$4.61 billion	0.01	-$481.88 million	($16.44)	-0.06
Almacenes Éxito	$4.90 billion	0.14	$25.20 million	N/A	N/A

Almacenes Éxito has higher revenue and earnings than Big Lots.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

76.0% of Big Lots shares are held by institutional investors. 3.6% of Big Lots shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

Big Lots pays an annual dividend of $1.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 132.7%. Almacenes Éxito pays an annual dividend of $0.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Big Lots pays out -7.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Profitability

This table compares Big Lots and Almacenes Éxito’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Big Lots	-10.44%	-147.35%	-10.75%
Almacenes Éxito	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Almacenes Éxito beats Big Lots on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Big Lots

Big Lots, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a home discount retailer in the United States. The company offers products under various merchandising categories, such as furniture category that includes upholstery, mattresses, home décor, case goods, and ready-to-assemble departments; seasonal category, which comprises patio furniture, gazebos, Christmas trim, lawn and garden, and other holiday departments; soft home category consists of apparel, hosiery, jewelry; frames, fashion and utility bedding, bath, window, decorative textiles, and area rugs departments; and food category that includes beverages and grocery, specialty foods, and candy and snacks departments. It also provides merchandise under the consumables category, which comprises health, beauty and cosmetics, plastics, paper, pet, infant, stationery, and chemical departments; and hard home category, including small appliances, tabletops, food preparation products, home maintenance and organization products, toys, electronics departments, and other offerings. Big Lots, Inc. was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

About Almacenes Éxito

Almacenes Éxito S.A. operates as a retail commerce company in South America. The company operates a chain of retail stores primarily under the Éxito, Carulla, Surtimax, Super Inter, Surti Mayorista, Libertad, Mini Libertad, Devoto, Disco, and Géant brands. It is also involved in the online commerce activities. In addition, the company engages in the credit facilities, insurance, money transfers and remittances, mobile phone services, trade tourist package trips and tickets, repair and maintain furnishings, paperwork, and energy trade activities; acquisition and building commercial premises for establishing stores, malls, or other locations; investing in property, promoting, and developing various kinds of real estate projects; and leasing of premises. Further, it invests in shares, bonds, trade papers, and other securities; enters into firm factoring agreements; and distributes oil-based liquid fuels through service stations, as well as alcohols, biofuels, and natural gas for vehicles and other fuels used in the automotive, industrial, fluvial, maritime, and air transport sectors. Almacenes Éxito S.A. was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Envigado, Colombia. As of January 19, 2024, Almacenes Éxito S.A. operates as a subsidiary of Super Selectos El Salvador.