Reviewing Great Ajax (NYSE:AJX) and HG (OTCMKTS:STLY)

HG (OTCMKTS:STLY) and Great Ajax (NYSE:AJX) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings and profitability.

Volatility & Risk

HG has a beta of 0.57, suggesting that its stock price is 43% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Great Ajax has a beta of 1.88, suggesting that its stock price is 88% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares HG and Great Ajax’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
HG	-3.70%	-1.31%	-0.92%
Great Ajax	-203.61%	-8.35%	-1.99%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares HG and Great Ajax”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
HG	$11.11 million	1.25	-$820,000.00	($0.15)	-32.27
Great Ajax	-$89.73 million	0.00	-$47.07 million	($3.77)	N/A

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for HG and Great Ajax, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
HG	0	0	0	0	0.00
Great Ajax	0	2	1	0	2.33

Great Ajax has a consensus price target of $6.00, indicating a potential upside of 0.00%. Given Great Ajax’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Great Ajax is more favorable than HG.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

1.7% of HG shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 58.6% of Great Ajax shares are held by institutional investors. 36.1% of HG shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.3% of Great Ajax shares are held by 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

HG beats Great Ajax on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About HG

HG Holdings, Inc. engages in the title insurance and real estate businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Title Insurance Services, Reinsurance, Management Services, and Real Estate. The company provides title insurance, closing and/or escrow, and similar or related services in connection with residential and commercial real estate transactions. It also owns and operates a portfolio of single-tenant properties leased for the occupancy by U.S. government tenant agencies and sub-agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Veterans affairs, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Transportation. In addition, the company provides excess-of-loss reinsurance coverage related to catastrophic weather risk in Texas; and management advisory services, such as formation, operational, and restructuring services. The company was formerly known as Stanley Furniture Company, Inc. and changed its name to HG Holdings, Inc. in March 2018. HG Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 1984 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

About Great Ajax

Great Ajax Corp. operates as a mortgage real estate investment trust. It acquires re-performing and non-performing loans; acquires or originates small balance commercial mortgage loans that are secured by multi-family residential and commercial mixed use retail/residential properties; and invests in single-family and smaller commercial properties. The company elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Great Ajax Corp. was incorporated in 2014 and is based in Tigard, Oregon.