McGrath RentCorp (MGRC) Competitors

McGrath RentCorp (NASDAQ:MGRC) and Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) are both mid-cap diversified support services companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, media sentiment, institutional ownership and earnings.

Does the media favor MGRC or UNF?

In the previous week, Unifirst had 20 more articles in the media than McGrath RentCorp. MarketBeat recorded 27 mentions for Unifirst and 7 mentions for McGrath RentCorp. McGrath RentCorp's average media sentiment score of 1.22 beat Unifirst's score of 0.47 indicating that McGrath RentCorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
McGrath RentCorp	3 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Unifirst	5 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	15 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Do analysts rate MGRC or UNF?

McGrath RentCorp currently has a consensus price target of $145.50, indicating a potential upside of 20.88%. Unifirst has a consensus price target of $181.67, indicating a potential upside of 6.01%. Given McGrath RentCorp's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe McGrath RentCorp is more favorable than Unifirst.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
McGrath RentCorp	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Unifirst	1 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1.67

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in MGRC or UNF?

92.1% of McGrath RentCorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 78.2% of Unifirst shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.4% of McGrath RentCorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Unifirst shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is MGRC or UNF a better dividend stock?

McGrath RentCorp pays an annual dividend of $1.94 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Unifirst pays an annual dividend of $1.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. McGrath RentCorp pays out 20.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Unifirst pays out 17.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. McGrath RentCorp has increased its dividend for 33 consecutive years and Unifirst has increased its dividend for 7 consecutive years. McGrath RentCorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has more volatility and risk, MGRC or UNF?

McGrath RentCorp has a beta of 0.66, suggesting that its stock price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Unifirst has a beta of 0.86, suggesting that its stock price is 14% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is MGRC or UNF more profitable?

McGrath RentCorp has a net margin of 25.81% compared to Unifirst's net margin of 6.13%. McGrath RentCorp's return on equity of 13.57% beat Unifirst's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
McGrath RentCorp	25.81%	13.57%	6.41%
Unifirst	6.13%	7.46%	5.86%

Which has better valuation and earnings, MGRC or UNF?

McGrath RentCorp has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Unifirst. McGrath RentCorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Unifirst, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
McGrath RentCorp	$910.94M	3.25	$231.73M	$9.65	12.47
Unifirst	$2.43B	1.31	$145.47M	$8.04	21.31

Summary

McGrath RentCorp beats Unifirst on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.