Reviewing Sweetgreen (NYSE:SG) and Lindblad Expeditions (NASDAQ:LIND)

Lindblad Expeditions (NASDAQ:LIND) and Sweetgreen (NYSE:SG) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, risk, dividends, earnings and institutional ownership.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Lindblad Expeditions and Sweetgreen”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lindblad Expeditions	$859.59 million	2.64	-$29.72 million	($0.02)	-1,727.50
Sweetgreen	$679.47 million	2.15	-$134.07 million	$0.15	81.63

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

Institutional and Insider Ownership

75.9% of Lindblad Expeditions shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.8% of Sweetgreen shares are held by institutional investors. 26.1% of Lindblad Expeditions shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 18.2% of Sweetgreen shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Lindblad Expeditions and Sweetgreen’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lindblad Expeditions	0.67%	-2.74%	0.56%
Sweetgreen	2.78%	-31.13%	-15.80%

Volatility & Risk

Lindblad Expeditions has a beta of 2.27, indicating that its stock price is 127% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Sweetgreen has a beta of 2.11, indicating that its stock price is 111% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Lindblad Expeditions and Sweetgreen, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lindblad Expeditions	1	4	4	0	2.33
Sweetgreen	3	7	6	0	2.19

Lindblad Expeditions currently has a consensus target price of $32.50, suggesting a potential downside of 5.93%. Sweetgreen has a consensus target price of $9.88, suggesting a potential downside of 19.30%. Given Lindblad Expeditions’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Lindblad Expeditions is more favorable than Sweetgreen.

Summary

Lindblad Expeditions beats Sweetgreen on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lindblad Expeditions

Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. operates expedition cruises and nature-focused travel experiences through Lindblad Expeditions and its land-based travel business, Natural Habitat Adventures. Its trips emphasize wildlife, ecosystems and cultural exploration, with small ships and guided excursions designed to reach destinations that are less accessible to larger vessels. The company’s itineraries include destinations such as Antarctica, the Arctic, the Galápagos Islands, Alaska and Baja California, as well as other regions around the world.

About Sweetgreen

Sweetgreen, Inc. is a fast-casual restaurant company that serves salads, grain bowls and other meals made with vegetables, grains and proteins. Its menu includes seasonal offerings, and customers can order in restaurants or through the company’s digital channels. Founded in 2007 by Jonathan Neman, Nicolas Jammet and Nathaniel Ru, Sweetgreen began as a single restaurant near Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The company has since expanded to markets across the United States. Sweetgreen also uses technology in its restaurant operations, including its Infinite Kitchen automated food-preparation system.