Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO) and Moolec Science (NASDAQ:MLEC) Head-To-Head Analysis

Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO) and Moolec Science (NASDAQ:MLEC) are both small-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends and profitability.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

63.6% of Mission Produce shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of Moolec Science shares are held by institutional investors. 35.4% of Mission Produce shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 19.9% of Moolec Science shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

Mission Produce has a beta of 0.56, suggesting that its stock price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Moolec Science has a beta of -0.48, suggesting that its stock price is 148% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Mission Produce and Moolec Science’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mission Produce	2.71%	8.18%	4.89%
Moolec Science	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Mission Produce and Moolec Science”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Mission Produce	$1.39 billion	0.59	$37.70 million	$0.52	22.27
Moolec Science	$333.61 million	0.00	-$7.31 million	($2.20)	-0.13

Mission Produce has higher revenue and earnings than Moolec Science. Moolec Science is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Mission Produce, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Mission Produce and Moolec Science, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Mission Produce	0	2	2	0	2.50
Moolec Science	0	0	0	0	0.00

Mission Produce presently has a consensus target price of $17.00, suggesting a potential upside of 46.80%. Given Mission Produce’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Mission Produce is more favorable than Moolec Science.

Summary

Mission Produce beats Moolec Science on 14 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Mission Produce

Mission Produce, Inc. engages in the sourcing, farming, packaging, marketing, and distribution of avocados, mangoes, and blueberries to food retailers, distributors, and foodservice customers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments, Marketing and Distribution; International Farming; and Blueberries. It also provides ripening, bagging, custom packing, logistical management, and quality assurance services. In addition, the company offers merchandising and promotional support, and insights on market trends, and training services. Mission Produce, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Oxnard, California.

About Moolec Science

Moolec Science SA, a science-based food ingredient company, focuses on developing real animal proteins in plants using molecular farming. It offers Chymosin SPC, a dairy ingredient; GLA SONOVA, a nutritional oil; POORK+, a plant-based, animal meat free ingredient with porcine proteins in soybeans; and BEEF+, a meat replacement product. It operates in the United States, Europe, and South America. The company was founded in 2020 and is based in Luxembourg.