Contrasting Acushnet (NYSE:GOLF) & Vision Marine Technologies (NASDAQ:VMAR)

Vision Marine Technologies (NASDAQ:VMAR) and Acushnet (NYSE:GOLF) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

53.8% of Vision Marine Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 53.1% of Acushnet shares are held by institutional investors. 40.4% of Vision Marine Technologies shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 53.6% of Acushnet shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Vision Marine Technologies and Acushnet’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vision Marine Technologies	-84.38%	-240.59%	-59.56%
Acushnet	8.80%	27.50%	9.53%

Risk & Volatility

Vision Marine Technologies has a beta of 0.31, meaning that its share price is 69% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Acushnet has a beta of 0.89, meaning that its share price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Vision Marine Technologies and Acushnet, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vision Marine Technologies	1	0	0	0	1.00
Acushnet	0	6	1	1	2.38

Acushnet has a consensus price target of $87.83, indicating a potential downside of 12.09%. Given Acushnet’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Acushnet is more favorable than Vision Marine Technologies.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Vision Marine Technologies and Acushnet”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vision Marine Technologies	$29.42 million	0.01	-$21.65 million	($376.00)	-0.01
Acushnet	$2.53 billion	2.32	$214.30 million	$3.66	27.30

Acushnet has higher revenue and earnings than Vision Marine Technologies. Vision Marine Technologies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Acushnet, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Acushnet beats Vision Marine Technologies on 14 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Vision Marine Technologies

Vision Marine Technologies Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and rents electric boats in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It offers e-motion electric powertrain technology; e-motion electric outboard powertrain system; electric boats; maintenance, repair, and customer support services; as well as manufactures customized boats. The company also provides its products through website and distributors. It serves original equipment manufacturers, retail customer, boat clubs, and boat rental operations. The company was formerly known as Riopel Marine Inc. and changed its name to Vision Marine Technologies Inc. in April 2020. Vision Marine Technologies Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Boisbriand, Canada.

About Acushnet

Acushnet Holdings Corp. designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes golf products in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, Korea, and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Titleist Golf Balls, Titleist Golf Clubs, Titleist Golf Gear, and FootJoy Golf Wear. It offers golf balls under the Titleist brand; golf clubs, such as drivers, fairways, hybrids, and irons under the Titleist brand; wedges under the Vokey Design brand; and putters under the Scotty Cameron brand. The company also provides golf bags, headwear, golf gloves, travel products, and other golf accessories. In addition, it offers golf shoes, gloves, golf outerwear, and men’s and women’s golf apparel under the FootJoy brand; and ski, golf, and lifestyle apparel under the KJUS brand name. It sells its products through on-course golf shops and golf specialty retailers, as well as through representatives, other retailers, and online. The company was formerly known as Alexandria Holdings Corp. and changed its name to Acushnet Holdings Corp. in March 2016. Acushnet Holdings Corp. was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.