Reviewing RE/MAX (NYSE:RMAX) and WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC)

WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) and RE/MAX (NYSE:RMAX) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, valuation, risk, profitability, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

95.8% of WillScot shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.2% of RE/MAX shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.1% of WillScot shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.8% of RE/MAX shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

WillScot has a beta of 1.08, meaning that its share price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, RE/MAX has a beta of 1.26, meaning that its share price is 26% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares WillScot and RE/MAX’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
WillScot	-2.32%	20.42%	3.37%
RE/MAX	2.80%	-73.77%	5.20%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares WillScot and RE/MAX”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
WillScot	$2.28 billion	1.53	-$52.99 million	($0.30)	-64.40
RE/MAX	$291.60 million	0.41	$8.15 million	$0.39	15.24

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings for WillScot and RE/MAX, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
WillScot	1	6	3	0	2.20
RE/MAX	1	1	0	0	1.50

WillScot currently has a consensus target price of $25.50, indicating a potential upside of 31.99%. RE/MAX has a consensus target price of $9.00, indicating a potential upside of 51.39%. Given RE/MAX’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe RE/MAX is more favorable than WillScot.

Summary

RE/MAX beats WillScot on 8 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 RE/MAX

RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. operates as a franchisor of real estate brokerage services in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through Real Estate, Mortgage, and Marketing Funds segments. The company offers real estate brokerage franchising services under the RE/MAX brand; mortgage brokerage services to real estate brokers, real estate professionals, mortgage professionals, and other investors under the Motto Mortgage brand; and mortgage loan processing software and services under the wemlo brand. It also provides kvCORE platform, which integrates a suite of digital products that enables agents, brokers, and teams to establish and manage client relationships; and RE/MAX University platform, a learning hub designed to help each agent in their professional expertise. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.