Innovative Food (OTCMKTS:IVFH) & Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO) Financial Review

Innovative Food (OTCMKTS:IVFH) and Mission Produce (NASDAQ:AVO) are both consumer defensive companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability and valuation.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

12.7% of Innovative Food shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 63.6% of Mission Produce shares are held by institutional investors. 13.5% of Innovative Food shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 41.6% of Mission Produce shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Innovative Food and Mission Produce’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Innovative Food	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mission Produce	0.60%	3.98%	2.24%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Innovative Food and Mission Produce’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Innovative Food	N/A	N/A	N/A	($0.14)	-7.01
Mission Produce	$953.90 million	0.88	-$2.80 million	$0.08	148.38

Innovative Food has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Mission Produce. Innovative Food is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Mission Produce, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Innovative Food and Mission Produce, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Innovative Food	0	0	0	0	N/A
Mission Produce	0	1	2	0	2.67

Mission Produce has a consensus target price of $11.50, suggesting a potential downside of 3.12%. Given Mission Produce’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Mission Produce is more favorable than Innovative Food.

Summary

Mission Produce beats Innovative Food on 10 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Innovative Food

Innovative Food Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides specialty food and food related products to restaurants, hotels, country clubs, national chain accounts, casinos, hospitals, and catering houses in the United States. The company distributes approximately 7,000 perishable and specialty food and food related products, including origin-specific seafood, domestic and imported meats, exotic game and poultry, artisanal cheeses, prepared meals, caviar, wild and cultivated mushrooms, micro-greens, organic farmed and manufactured food products, and estate-bottled olive oils and aged vinegars, as well as curated food gift baskets, gift boxes, and a full range of food subscription-based offerings. It also provides a line of specialty healthcare related products; foodservice consulting and advisory services; and sales and brand management services for organic and specialty food consumer packaged goods companies. In addition, the company offers direct to consumer and direct to business specialty food items through its websites igourmet.com and forethegourmet.com; and through other e-commerce channels, as well as operates mouth.com, an online retailer of specialty foods, monthly subscription boxes, and curated gift boxes to consumers and corporate customers. The company provides its products directly from its network of vendors and warehouses. Innovative Food Holdings, Inc. is based in Bonita Springs, Florida.

About Mission Produce

Mission Produce, Inc. engages in the sourcing, farming, packaging, marketing, and distribution of avocados, mangoes, and blueberries to food retailers, distributors, and foodservice customers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments, Marketing and Distribution; International Farming; and Blueberries. It also provides ripening, bagging, custom packing, logistical management, and quality assurance services. In addition, the company offers merchandising and promotional support, and insights on market trends, and training services. Mission Produce, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Oxnard, California.