Limoneira (NASDAQ:LMNR – Get Free Report) and Cibus (NASDAQ:CBUS – Get Free Report) 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 analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, valuation, dividends and risk.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
64.4% of Limoneira shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 33.8% of Cibus shares are held by institutional investors. 8.9% of Limoneira shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 49.4% of Cibus shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Limoneira and Cibus, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Limoneira | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.25 |
| Cibus | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.00 |
Risk and Volatility
Limoneira has a beta of 0.44, suggesting that its share price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cibus has a beta of 1.68, suggesting that its share price is 68% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Limoneira and Cibus’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Limoneira | -5.69% | -5.01% | -3.10% |
| Cibus | -5,681.55% | -83.67% | -20.85% |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Limoneira and Cibus”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Limoneira | $191.50 million | 1.41 | $7.72 million | ($0.55) | -27.25 |
| Cibus | $4.26 million | 16.68 | -$251.39 million | ($10.45) | -0.13 |
Limoneira has higher revenue and earnings than Cibus. Limoneira is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cibus, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Limoneira beats Cibus on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Limoneira
Limoneira Company operates as an agribusiness and real estate development company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three divisions: Agribusiness, Rental Operations, and Real Estate Development. It grows, processes, packs, markets, and sells lemons. The company also grows avocado, oranges, and specialty citrus and other crops, including Moro blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges, Valencia oranges, Minneola tangelos, Star Ruby grapefruit, pummelos, and wine grapes. It has approximately 3,500 acres of lemons planted primarily in Ventura, Tulare, San Luis Obispo, and San Bernardino Counties in California; and Jujuy, Argentina, as well in Yuma County, Arizona, and La Serena, Chile; 1,200 acres of avocados planted in Ventura County; 100 acres of oranges planted in Tulare County, California; and 400 acres of specialty citrus and other crops. In addition, the company rents residential housing units and commercial office buildings, as well as leases approximately 400 acres of its land to third-party agricultural tenants. Further, it is involved in the organic recycling operations; and development of land parcels, multi-family housing, and single-family homes. The company markets and sells its lemons directly to food service, wholesale, and retail customers; avocados, oranges, specialty citrus, and other crops to third-party packinghouses; and wine grapes to wine producers. Limoneira Company was founded in 1893 and is headquartered in Santa Paula, California.
About Cibus
Cibus, Inc., a agricultural biotechnology company, develops and licenses plant traits to seed companies for royalties. The company primarily focus on trait productivity in two areas, including productivity traits that enable farmers to have higher yields and reduce the use of the crop protection chemicals and fertilizers; and sustainable ingredients that enable corporations to replace ingredients that are fossil fuel based or whose production results in increased greenhouse gases. Cibus, Inc. is based in San Diego, California.
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