Head to Head Analysis: Macerich (NYSE:MAC) and Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust (NASDAQ:WHLRP)

Macerich (NYSE:MAC) and Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust (NASDAQ:WHLRP) are both real estate companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations and risk.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

87.4% of Macerich shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Macerich shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Macerich and Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Macerich	1	6	8	1	2.56
Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust	0	0	0	0	0.00

Macerich presently has a consensus target price of $25.73, indicating a potential upside of 4.39%. Given Macerich’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Macerich is more favorable than Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust.

Profitability

This table compares Macerich and Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Macerich	-16.85%	-6.26%	-1.97%
Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Macerich and Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Macerich	$1.01 billion	6.95	-$197.15 million	($0.65)	-37.92
Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust	$95.47 million	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Macerich.

Summary

Macerich beats Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Macerich

Macerich is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). As a leading owner, operator and developer of high-quality retail real estate in densely populated and attractive U.S. markets, Macerich’s portfolio is concentrated in California, the Pacific Northwest, Phoenix/Scottsdale, and the Metro New York to Washington, D.C. corridor. Developing and managing properties that serve as community cornerstones, Macerich currently owns 47 million square feet of real estate consisting primarily of interests in 44 regional town centers. Macerich is firmly dedicated to advancing environmental goals, social good and sound corporate governance. A recognized leader in sustainability, Macerich has achieved a #1 Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) ranking for the North American retail sector for nine consecutive years (2015-2023).

About Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust

Headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc. is a fully integrated, self-managed commercial real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on owning and operating income-producing retail properties with a primary focus on grocery-anchored centers.