Head to Head Contrast: Metro (OTCMKTS:MTRAF) vs. Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART)

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) and Metro (OTCMKTS:MTRAF) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

63.1% of Maplebear shares are owned by institutional investors. 24.0% of Maplebear shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Maplebear and Metro, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Maplebear	0	9	14	1	2.67
Metro	0	1	2	0	2.67

Maplebear currently has a consensus target price of $55.14, indicating a potential upside of 11.05%. Given Maplebear’s higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Maplebear is more favorable than Metro.

Profitability

This table compares Maplebear and Metro’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Maplebear	11.97%	20.19%	14.13%
Metro	4.52%	15.02%	7.27%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Maplebear and Metro”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Maplebear	$3.74 billion	3.12	$447.00 million	$1.83	27.13
Metro	$15.74 billion	0.86	$727.05 million	$2.46	26.33

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

Summary

Maplebear beats Metro on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Maplebear

Maplebear Inc., doing business as Instacart, engages in the provision of online grocery shopping services to households in North America. It sells and delivers grocery products, as well as pickup services through a mobile application and website. It also operates virtual convenience stores; and provides software-as-a-service solutions to retailers. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is based in San Francisco, California.

About Metro

Metro Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer, franchisor, distributor, and manufacturer in the food and pharmaceutical sectors in Canada. The company operates supermarkets, discount, neighborhood, and specialty stores that provide fresh and grocery products, baked goods, prepared food products, meats, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, frozen food products, bakery products, delicatessen items, and pastries. It also manufactures ready-to-eat meals, salads, dips, pastries, pies, breads, and cakes; generic drugs under Pro Doc trademark; and provides online grocery shopping services. In addition, the company offers its private label food products under Irresistibles, Selection, Our Harvest Best, Lucky Koi, Life Smart, Adonis, Phoenicia, and Premiere Moisson brands; and private label drug products comprising beauty and cosmetic products, over-the-counter medications, and personal care products, sold under the Personnelle brand name. It operates a network of food stores under various banners, including Metro, Metro Plus, Adonis, Super C, Marché Richelieu, Marché Ami, Première Moisson, Les 5 Saisons, and Food Basics, as well as drugstores primarily under the PJC Jean Coutu, PJC Santé, PJC Santé Beauté, Brunet, Brunet Plus, Brunet Clinique, Clini Plus, Metro Pharmacy, and Food Basics Pharmacy banners. The company was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Montréal, Canada.