Comparing Eastside Distilling (NASDAQ:BLNE) and Ambev (NYSE:ABEV)

Eastside Distilling (NASDAQ:BLNE) and Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, profitability, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation and institutional ownership.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

0.6% of Eastside Distilling shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 8.1% of Ambev shares are owned by institutional investors. 20.4% of Eastside Distilling shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Eastside Distilling and Ambev”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Eastside Distilling	$5.21 million	1.18	-$7.53 million	($37.00)	-0.02
Ambev	$91.67 billion	0.43	$2.90 billion	$0.16	15.47

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

Volatility and Risk

Eastside Distilling has a beta of 1.07, meaning that its share price is 7% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ambev has a beta of 0.76, meaning that its share price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Eastside Distilling and Ambev’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Eastside Distilling	-74.63%	-2,066.36%	-31.99%
Ambev	17.02%	16.12%	10.48%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Eastside Distilling and Ambev, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Eastside Distilling	0	0	0	0	0.00
Ambev	1	4	0	0	1.80

Ambev has a consensus price target of $2.60, indicating a potential upside of 5.05%. Given Ambev’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Ambev is more favorable than Eastside Distilling.

Summary

Ambev beats Eastside Distilling on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Eastside Distilling

Eastside Distilling, Inc. manufactures, acquires, blends, bottles, imports, exports, markets, and sells various alcoholic beverages. It operates through two segments, Spirits and Craft Canning and Bottling. The company provides whiskey under the Burnside Whiskey brand; vodka under the Portland Potato Vodka brand; rum under the Hue-Hue Coffee Rum brand; and tequila under the Azuñia Tequila brand. It also offers gin and ready-to-drink products; and canning and bottling services to the craft beer and cider industries. The company sells its products on a wholesale basis to distributors in the United States. Eastside Distilling, Inc. was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

About Ambev

Ambev S.A., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of beer, draft beer, carbonated soft drinks, malt and food, other alcoholic beverages, and non-alcoholic and non-carbonated products in Brazil, Central America and Caribbean, Latin America South, and Canada. It offers beer primarily under the Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, Brahva, Budweiser, Bud Light, Beck, Leffe, Hoegaarden, Balboa ICE, Balboa, Atlas Golden Light, Atlas, Bucanero, Cristal, Mayabe, Presidente, Presidente Light, Brahma Light, Bohemia, The One, Corona, Modelo Especial, Stella Artois, Quilmes Clásica, Paceña, Taquiña, Huari, Becker, Cusqueña, Michelob Ultra, Busch, Pilsen, Ouro Fino, Bud 66, Banks, Deputy, Patricia, Labatt Blue, Alexander Keith’s, and Kokanee brands. The company also provides carbonated soft drinks, bottled water, isotonic beverages, energy drinks, coconut water, powdered and natural juices, and ready-to-drink teas under the Guaraná Antarctica, Gatorade, H2OH!, Pepsi Black, Lipton Iced Tea, Fusion, Pepsi-Cola, Canada Dry, Squirt, Red Rock, Red Bull, Seven Up, Nutrl, Bud Light Seltzer, Palm Bay, and Mike’s brands. It offers its products through a network of third-party distributors and a direct distribution system. The company was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil. Ambev S.A. is a subsidiary of Interbrew International B.V.