Analyzing Kikkoman (OTCMKTS:KIKOF) & Seneca Foods (NASDAQ:SENEA)

Kikkoman (OTCMKTS:KIKOF) and Seneca Foods (NASDAQ:SENEA) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, valuation and institutional ownership.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Kikkoman and Seneca Foods, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Kikkoman	0	0	0	0	0.00
Seneca Foods	0	1	1	0	2.50

Insider and Institutional Ownership

17.9% of Kikkoman shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 42.5% of Seneca Foods shares are held by institutional investors. 8.2% of Seneca Foods shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Kikkoman and Seneca Foods’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Kikkoman	N/A	N/A	N/A
Seneca Foods	6.75%	14.96%	8.56%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Kikkoman and Seneca Foods”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Kikkoman	N/A	N/A	N/A	$66.31	0.15
Seneca Foods	$1.77 billion	0.76	$114.67 million	$17.31	11.50

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

Summary

Seneca Foods beats Kikkoman on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Kikkoman

Kikkoman Corporation, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells food products in Japan and internationally. It offers soy sauces, soy sauce soup bases, dipping and marinade sauces, and Del Monte seasonings; soy milk and Del Monte beverages; mirin and wines. The company also manufactures and sells canned fruits, corn products, and tomato ketchup; health foods; and purchases and sells oriental food products, as well as other products. In addition, it produces and sells clinical diagnostic reagents, hygiene inspection agents, and processing enzymes, as well as chemical products, including hyaluronic acid; and offers real estate rental, logistics, and back-office support services. The company was formerly known as Kikkoman Shoyu Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Kikkoman Corporation in 1980. Kikkoman Corporation was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Noda, Japan.

About Seneca Foods

Seneca Foods Corporation provides packaged fruits and vegetables in the United States and internationally. The company offers canned, frozen, and jarred produce; jarred fruit; and snack chips and other food products under the private label, as well as under various national and regional brands that the company owns or licenses, including Seneca, Libby’s, Aunt Nellie’s, Cherryman, Green Valley, and READ. In addition, it packs canned and frozen vegetables under contract packing agreements. Further, the company engages in the sale of cans, ends, and seeds, as well as trucking and aircraft operations. It provides its products to grocery outlets, including supermarkets, mass merchandisers, limited assortment stores, club stores, and dollar stores; specialty retailers; and food service distributors, restaurant chains, industrial markets, other food packagers, and export customers in approximately 55 countries, as well as federal, state, and local governments for school and other feeding programs. Seneca Foods Corporation was incorporated in 1949 and is headquartered in Fairport, New York.