Critical Comparison: National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) versus Arcadia Biosciences (NASDAQ:RKDA)

Arcadia Biosciences (NASDAQ:RKDA) and National Beverage (NASDAQ:FIZZ) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Arcadia Biosciences and National Beverage’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Arcadia Biosciences	-234.53%	-183.50%	-91.25%
National Beverage	14.81%	32.61%	23.51%

Volatility and Risk

Arcadia Biosciences has a beta of 0.56, indicating that its share price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, National Beverage has a beta of 0.87, indicating that its share price is 13% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Arcadia Biosciences and National Beverage, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Arcadia Biosciences	1	0	0	0	1.00
National Beverage	2	0	0	0	1.00

National Beverage has a consensus price target of $31.00, indicating a potential upside of 3.89%. Given National Beverage’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe National Beverage is more favorable than Arcadia Biosciences.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

17.7% of Arcadia Biosciences shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 23.9% of National Beverage shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.5% of Arcadia Biosciences shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 74.7% of National Beverage shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Arcadia Biosciences and National Beverage”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Arcadia Biosciences	$4.75 million	0.15	-$2.34 million	($4.56)	-0.06
National Beverage	$1.18 billion	2.37	$183.65 million	$1.86	16.04

National Beverage has higher revenue and earnings than Arcadia Biosciences. Arcadia Biosciences is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than National Beverage, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

National Beverage beats Arcadia Biosciences on 12 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Arcadia Biosciences

Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. produces and markets plant-based food and beverage products in the United States. The company develops crop improvements primarily in wheat to enhance farm economics by improving the performance of crops in the field, as well as their value as food ingredients. Its food, beverage, and body case products include GoodWheat, Zola coconut water, ProVault topical pain relief, and SoulSpring. The company was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

About National Beverage

National Beverage Corp., through its subsidiaries, develops, produces, markets, and sells a portfolio of sparkling waters, juices, energy drinks, and carbonated soft drinks primarily in the United States and Canada. The company's Power+ brand portfolio offers sparkling water products under the LaCroix, LaCroix Cúrate, and LaCroix NiCola; non-carbonated flavored water under the Clear Fruit; energy drink and shots under the Rip It; juice and juice-based products under Everfresh, Everfresh Premier Varietals, and Mr. Pure; and carbonated soft drinks under Shasta and Faygo brands. It serves retailers, as well as various smaller up-and-down-the-street accounts through the take-home, convenience, and food-service distribution channels. National Beverage Corp. was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.