Financial Analysis: Diamond Foods (DMND) and J & J Snack Foods Corp. (JJSF)

Diamond Foods (NASDAQ: DMND) and J & J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF) are both non-cyclical consumer goods & services companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitabiliy, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends and risk.

Profitability

This table compares Diamond Foods and J & J Snack Foods Corp.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Diamond Foods	3.46%	10.01%	2.50%
J & J Snack Foods Corp.	7.33%	11.55%	9.21%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

68.0% of J & J Snack Foods Corp. shares are held by institutional investors. 21.0% of J & J Snack Foods Corp. shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Diamond Foods and J & J Snack Foods Corp.’s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	EBITDA	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Diamond Foods	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
J & J Snack Foods Corp.	$1.03 billion	2.32	$151.35 million	$4.01	31.85

J & J Snack Foods Corp. has higher revenue and earnings than Diamond Foods.

Dividends

J & J Snack Foods Corp. pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Diamond Foods does not pay a dividend. J & J Snack Foods Corp. pays out 41.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Diamond Foods has increased its dividend for 12 consecutive years.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Diamond Foods and J & J Snack Foods Corp., as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Diamond Foods	0	0	0	0	N/A
J & J Snack Foods Corp.	0	1	0	0	2.00

J & J Snack Foods Corp. has a consensus price target of $140.00, indicating a potential upside of 9.63%. Given J & J Snack Foods Corp.’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe J & J Snack Foods Corp. is more favorable than Diamond Foods.

Summary

J & J Snack Foods Corp. beats Diamond Foods on 8 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Diamond Foods

Diamond Foods, Inc. is a United States-based snack food and culinary nut company. The Company’s product lines include Potato Chips, Snack Nuts, Popcorn, Inshell Nuts and Culinary Nuts. It sells its products under five brand names: Diamond of California, Kettle Brand, Kettle Chips, Emerald and Pop Secret. Its potato chips are sold under the Kettle Brand label in the United States and Kettle Chips brand in the United Kingdom, which are made with blends of all natural seasonings and cooked in small batches in oils. Its product line also includes better-for-you Kettle Brand Baked Potato Chips, which are available in approximately five flavors. Snack Nuts are sold under the Emerald brand. It offers popcorn in both natural kernels and various flavors of microwave popcorn. Its inshell nuts are sold under the Diamond of California brand. Its culinary nuts are sold under the Diamond of California brand offering a source of nuts for salads, vegetables, pastas and baked goods.

About J & J Snack Foods Corp.

J & J Snack Foods Corp. is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of a range of snack foods and beverages for the food service and retail supermarket industries. The Company operates in three business segments: Food Service, Retail Supermarkets and Frozen Beverages. Its portfolio of products includes soft pretzels, frozen beverages, frozen juice treats and desserts, stuffed sandwiches, burritos, churros, fruit pies, funnel cakes, cookies and bakery goods, and other snack foods and drinks. Its principal snack food products are soft pretzels marketed primarily under brand names SUPERPRETZEL and BAVARIAN BAKERY; frozen juice treats and desserts marketed primarily under LUIGI’S, WHOLE FRUIT, ICEE, PHILLY SWIRL and MINUTE MAID brand names; churros marketed primarily under the TIO PEPE’S, CALIFORNIA CHURROS and OREO brand names, and bakery products sold primarily under the READI-BAKE, COUNTRY HOME, MARY B’S and DADDY RAY’S brand names, as well as for private label and contract packing.