Contrasting Medalist Diversified REIT (NASDAQ:MDRR) and Star (NASDAQ:STHO)
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyStar (NASDAQ:STHO – Get Free Report) and Medalist Diversified REIT (NASDAQ:MDRR – Get Free Report) are both small-cap real estate companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings and valuation.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Star and Medalist Diversified REIT”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Star | $110.14 million | 1.00 | -$64.25 million | $1.21 | 7.50 |
| Medalist Diversified REIT | $10.40 million | 1.78 | -$2.39 million | $3.83 | 2.96 |
Medalist Diversified REIT has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Star. Medalist Diversified REIT is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Star, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Star and Medalist Diversified REIT, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Star | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Medalist Diversified REIT | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
Institutional & Insider Ownership
89.3% of Star shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 17.4% of Medalist Diversified REIT shares are held by institutional investors. 4.1% of Star shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 77.6% of Medalist Diversified REIT shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Profitability
This table compares Star and Medalist Diversified REIT’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Star | 14.77% | -0.90% | -0.45% |
| Medalist Diversified REIT | 80.24% | -15.18% | -6.46% |
Risk & Volatility
Star has a beta of 1.22, meaning that its stock price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Medalist Diversified REIT has a beta of 0.57, meaning that its stock price is 43% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Star beats Medalist Diversified REIT on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Star
Star Holdings engages in the non-ground lease related commercial real estate businesses in the United States. Its portfolio primarily comprises interest in the Asbury Park Waterfront and Magnolia Green residential development projects. Star Holdings is based in New York, New York.
About Medalist Diversified REIT
Medalist Diversified REIT Inc. is a Virginia-based real estate investment trust that specializes in acquiring, owning and managing commercial real estate in the Southeast region of the U.S. The Company's strategy is to focus on commercial real estate which is expected to provide an attractive balance of risk and returns. Medalist utilizes a rigorous, consistent and replicable process for sourcing and conducting due diligence of acquisitions.