Reviewing WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) & J. W. Mays (NASDAQ:MAYS)

WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) and J. W. Mays (NASDAQ:MAYS) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, dividends and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares WillScot and J. W. Mays’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
WillScot	-2.99%	20.65%	3.31%
J. W. Mays	-3.90%	-1.62%	-0.96%

Volatility & Risk

WillScot has a beta of 1.31, suggesting that its share price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, J. W. Mays has a beta of 0.16, suggesting that its share price is 84% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

95.8% of WillScot shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 3.2% of J. W. Mays shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.1% of WillScot shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 40.8% of J. W. Mays 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 recent recommendations for WillScot and J. W. Mays, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
WillScot	1	7	3	0	2.18
J. W. Mays	1	0	0	0	1.00

WillScot presently has a consensus target price of $25.63, suggesting a potential downside of 5.16%. Given WillScot’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe WillScot is more favorable than J. W. Mays.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares WillScot and J. W. Mays”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
WillScot	$2.28 billion	2.14	-$52.99 million	($0.38)	-71.11
J. W. Mays	$22.47 million	3.82	-$140,000.00	($0.43)	-98.93

J. W. Mays has lower revenue, but higher earnings than WillScot. J. W. Mays is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than WillScot, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

WillScot beats J. W. Mays on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About WillScot

WillScot Holdings Corporation provides workspace and portable storage solutions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It operates in two segments, Modular Solutions and Storage Solutions. Its modular solutions include panelized and stackable offices, single-wide modular space units, section modulars and redi-plex, classrooms, ground level offices, blast-resistant modules, clearspan structures, and other modular space; and portable storage solutions, such as portable and cold storage containers, as well as trailers. The company leases modular space and portable storage units to customers in the construction, commercial and industrial, retail and wholesale trade, energy and natural resources, education, government and institutions, and healthcare markets. The company offers its solutions primarily under the WillScot and Mobile Mini brand names. The company was formerly known as WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. and changed its name to WillScot Holdings Corporation in July 2024. WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

About J. W. Mays

J.W. Mays, Inc. owns, operates, and leases commercial real estate properties in United States. The company's properties are located in Brooklyn, Jamaica, Fishkill, Levittown, and Massapequa of New York; and Circleville of Ohio. The company was founded in 1924 and is based in Brooklyn, New York.