Rexford Industrial Realty (NYSE:REXR) versus Americold Realty Trust (NYSE:COLD) Critical Contrast

Americold Realty Trust (NYSE:COLD) and Rexford Industrial Realty (NYSE:REXR) are both mid-cap real estate companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, valuation and risk.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Americold Realty Trust and Rexford Industrial Realty, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Americold Realty Trust	2	9	5	0	2.19
Rexford Industrial Realty	3	5	7	0	2.27

Americold Realty Trust currently has a consensus price target of $15.46, indicating a potential downside of 3.80%. Rexford Industrial Realty has a consensus price target of $41.14, indicating a potential upside of 8.55%. Given Rexford Industrial Realty’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Rexford Industrial Realty is more favorable than Americold Realty Trust.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

98.1% of Americold Realty Trust shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.5% of Rexford Industrial Realty shares are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of Americold Realty Trust shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of Rexford Industrial Realty shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Americold Realty Trust and Rexford Industrial Realty”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Americold Realty Trust	$2.64 billion	1.74	-$114.55 million	$0.83	19.37
Rexford Industrial Realty	$977.78 million	8.22	$212.03 million	($2.11)	-17.96

Rexford Industrial Realty has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Americold Realty Trust. Rexford Industrial Realty is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Americold Realty Trust, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Americold Realty Trust and Rexford Industrial Realty’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Americold Realty Trust	9.03%	8.44%	3.03%
Rexford Industrial Realty	-47.15%	-5.72%	-3.89%

Dividends

Americold Realty Trust pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.7%. Rexford Industrial Realty pays an annual dividend of $1.74 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.6%. Americold Realty Trust pays out 110.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Rexford Industrial Realty pays out -82.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Americold Realty Trust has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years and Rexford Industrial Realty has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years.

Volatility and Risk

Americold Realty Trust has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its share price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Rexford Industrial Realty has a beta of 1.11, meaning that its share price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Rexford Industrial Realty beats Americold Realty Trust on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Americold Realty Trust

Americold Realty Trust is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates temperature-controlled warehouses and provides logistics services for the food supply chain. Its facilities help customers store and move perishable products, including food produced by manufacturers and processors and products distributed to retailers and food-service businesses. The company offers refrigerated and frozen storage, handling, transportation and other supply chain services. It also manages temperature-controlled facilities for third parties, combining warehouse space with operational support for customers’ distribution needs.

About Rexford Industrial Realty

Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. is a real estate investment trust that owns, operates, acquires, develops and redevelops industrial properties. Its portfolio primarily serves businesses that need warehouse, distribution, manufacturing and other industrial space. The company focuses on infill markets in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, the Inland Empire and Ventura County. Its strategy centers on properties in established areas with access to customers, workers and transportation networks.