School Specialty (OTCMKTS:SCOO) versus Lifetime Brands (NASDAQ:LCUT) Head to Head Contrast

School Specialty (OTCMKTS:SCOO) and Lifetime Brands (NASDAQ:LCUT) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, earnings and institutional ownership.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares School Specialty and Lifetime Brands”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
School Specialty	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Lifetime Brands	$682.95 million	0.13	-$15.16 million	($1.59)	-2.41

School Specialty has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Lifetime Brands.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

40.6% of Lifetime Brands shares are owned by institutional investors. 41.0% of School Specialty shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 43.6% of Lifetime Brands shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for School Specialty and Lifetime Brands, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
School Specialty	0	0	0	0	0.00
Lifetime Brands	1	1	1	0	2.00

Lifetime Brands has a consensus target price of $5.50, indicating a potential upside of 43.60%. Given Lifetime Brands’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Lifetime Brands is more favorable than School Specialty.

Profitability

This table compares School Specialty and Lifetime Brands’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
School Specialty	N/A	N/A	N/A
Lifetime Brands	-5.16%	0.12%	0.04%

Summary

Lifetime Brands beats School Specialty on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About School Specialty

School Specialty, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides supplies, furniture, technology products, and curriculum solutions to the education marketplace in the United States and Canada. The company’s Distribution segment offers office products, classroom supplies, janitorial and sanitation supplies, school equipment, school and student safety and security products and services, physical education products, art supplies and paper, and others; physical education programs, solutions, resources, and equipment to improve student and staff wellness; and science education products, supplemental curriculum, and lab equipment and supplies. It also provides supplemental learning materials, teaching resources, classroom libraries, and manipulatives; intervention products; educator-inspired quality audio technology products, including multi-media, audio visual, and presentation equipment for the PreK-12 education market; and school-specific furniture and equipment for in-school, in-classroom, and outdoor use, as well as project management and design services for school refurbishment and new construction projects. This segment offers its products under the Childcraft, Sax Arts & Crafts, Califone, Classroom Select, Sportime, Abilitations, Hammond & Stephens, Brodhead Garrett, School Smart, Royal Seating, Projects by Design, CPO Science, Frey Scientific, Educator’s Publishing Service, Wordly Wise 3000, Explode the Code, ThinkMath!, SSI Guardian, Making Connections, S.P.I.R.E, Buckle Down, and Coach brands. Its Curriculum segment develops and sells standards-based curriculum science products, such as laboratory supplies and equipment, and furniture under the FOSS, Frey Scientific, Delta Science Module, Delta Education, CPO Science, and Neo/SCI brand names. The company offers its products through its sales force, catalogs, and its proprietary e-commerce Websites. School Specialty, Inc. was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Greenville, Wisconsin.

About Lifetime Brands

Lifetime Brands, Inc. designs, sources, and sells branded kitchenware, tableware, and other products for use in the home in the worldwide. The company provides kitchenware products, including kitchen tools and gadgets, cutlery, kitchen scales, thermometers, cutting boards, shears, cookware, pantryware, spice racks, and bakeware; and tableware products comprising dinnerware, stemware, flatware, and giftware. It also provides home solutions, such as thermal beverageware, bath scales, weather and outdoor household, food storage, neoprene travel, and home décor products. The company owns or licenses various brands, including the Farberware, Mikasa, Taylor, KitchenAid, Pfaltzgraff, BUILT NY, Rabbit, Kamenstein, S’well, and Fred & Friends. It serves mass market merchants, specialty stores, department stores, warehouse clubs, grocery stores, off-price retailers, food service distributors, food and beverage outlets, and e-commerce. The company sells its products directly, as well as through its retail websites. Lifetime Brands, Inc. was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Garden City, New York.