Financial Comparison: Olaplex (NASDAQ:OLPX) and Maison Solutions (NASDAQ:MSS)

Olaplex (NASDAQ:OLPX) and Maison Solutions (NASDAQ:MSS) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends and risk.

Profitability

This table compares Olaplex and Maison Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Olaplex	-1.18%	1.31%	0.70%
Maison Solutions	-4.89%	-46.54%	-6.80%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for Olaplex and Maison Solutions, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Olaplex	1	4	2	1	2.38
Maison Solutions	1	1	1	0	2.00

Olaplex currently has a consensus price target of $1.85, suggesting a potential upside of 37.04%. Maison Solutions has a consensus price target of $4.25, suggesting a potential upside of 1,092.82%. Given Maison Solutions’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Maison Solutions is more favorable than Olaplex.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Olaplex and Maison Solutions”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Olaplex	$422.67 million	2.13	$19.52 million	N/A	N/A
Maison Solutions	$124.22 million	0.06	$1.17 million	($0.26)	-1.37

Olaplex has higher revenue and earnings than Maison Solutions.

Volatility and Risk

Olaplex has a beta of 2.28, meaning that its stock price is 128% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Maison Solutions has a beta of 5.26, meaning that its stock price is 426% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

87.4% of Olaplex shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 2.4% of Maison Solutions shares are held by institutional investors. 4.3% of Olaplex shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 64.7% of Maison Solutions shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Olaplex beats Maison Solutions on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Olaplex

Olaplex Holdings, Inc. develops, manufactures, and sells hair care products in the United States and internationally. The company offers hair care shampoos and conditioners for use in treatment, maintenance, and protection of hair, as well as oil, moisture mask, and nourishing hair serum. It provides hair care products to professional hair salons, retailers, and everyday consumers. The company distributes its products through professional distributors in salons, directly to retailers for sale in their physical stores, e-commerce sites, and its website, Olaplex.com, as well as third party e-commerce platforms. The company was founded in 2014 and is based in Santa Barbara, California.

About Maison Solutions

Maison Solutions Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as the specialty grocery retailer in California. The company offers perishable products, such as meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruit; non-perishable products, including grocery products comprising cooking utensils, canned foods, Chinese and Asian seasonings and spices, and snacks, as well as liquor, cigarette, lottery, newspaper, reusable bag, non-food, and health products, and general merchandise, beauty care, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services in its stores. It also offers its products online. The company was formerly known as Maison International, Inc. and changed its name to Maison Solutions Inc. in September 2021. Maison Solutions Inc. was incorporated in 2019 and is based in Monterey Park, California.