Contrasting Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) & Lakeside (NASDAQ:LSH)

Lakeside (NASDAQ:LSH) and Universal Logistics (NASDAQ:ULH) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Lakeside and Universal Logistics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lakeside	-26.59%	-172.78%	-39.90%
Universal Logistics	-2.46%	6.49%	2.26%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Lakeside and Universal Logistics, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lakeside	1	0	0	0	1.00
Universal Logistics	2	1	0	0	1.33

Universal Logistics has a consensus target price of $17.00, indicating a potential upside of 6.78%. Given Universal Logistics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Universal Logistics is more favorable than Lakeside.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

25.5% of Universal Logistics shares are owned by institutional investors. 15.5% of Lakeside shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 73.6% of Universal Logistics shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Lakeside and Universal Logistics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lakeside	$19.81 million	0.81	-$5.25 million	($0.60)	-1.54
Universal Logistics	$1.85 billion	0.23	$129.91 million	($1.52)	-10.47

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

Volatility and Risk

Lakeside has a beta of 3.03, suggesting that its stock price is 203% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Universal Logistics has a beta of 0.91, suggesting that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Universal Logistics beats Lakeside on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lakeside

Lakeside Holding Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides integrated cross-border supply chain solution in the United States, China, South Korea, and internationally. It offers a range of integrated services under cross-border ocean freight solutions and cross-border airfreight solutions, including cross-border freight consolidation and forwarding services, customs clearance services, warehousing and distribution services, and U.S. domestic ground transportation services. The company customers include logistics service companies serving e-commerce platforms, social commerce platforms, and manufacturers to sell and transport consumer and industrial goods. Lakeside Holding Limited was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. Lakeside Holding Limited operates as a subsidiary of Jiushen Transport LLC.

About Universal Logistics

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. provides transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. The company offers truckload services, which include dry van, flatbed, heavy-haul, and refrigerated operations; domestic and international freight forwarding, and customs brokerage services. It transports various commodities comprising automotive parts, machinery, building materials, paper, food, consumer goods, furniture, steel, and other metals. The company also provides value-added services for individual customer requirements, including material handling, consolidation, sequencing, sub-assembly, cross-dock, kitting, repacking, warehousing, and returnable container management; and intermodal support services comprising short-to-medium distance delivery of steamship and rail truck containers between the port or railhead, and the customer. It serves automotive, steel, and other metals, retail and consumer goods, energy, and manufacturing industries, as well as other transportation companies who aggregate loads from various shippers. The company was formerly known as Universal Truckload Services, Inc. and changed its name to Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. in April 2016. Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1932 and is headquartered in Warren, Michigan.