Critical Analysis: Iota Communications (OTCMKTS:IOTC) & Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART)

Maplebear (NASDAQ:CART) and Iota Communications (OTCMKTS:IOTC) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Maplebear and Iota Communications”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Maplebear	$3.04 billion	3.65	-$1.62 billion	$1.49	29.01
Iota Communications	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Iota Communications has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Maplebear.

Profitability

This table compares Maplebear and Iota Communications’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Maplebear	13.37%	13.78%	10.51%
Iota Communications	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

63.1% of Maplebear shares are owned by institutional investors. 36.0% of Maplebear shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.2% of Iota Communications 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 Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Maplebear and Iota Communications, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Maplebear	0	12	13	0	2.52
Iota Communications	0	0	0	0	0.00

Maplebear currently has a consensus price target of $47.29, suggesting a potential upside of 9.41%. Given Maplebear’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Maplebear is more favorable than Iota Communications.

Summary

Maplebear beats Iota Communications on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Maplebear

Maplebear Inc., doing business as Instacart, engages in the provision of online grocery shopping services to households in North America. It sells and delivers grocery products, as well as pickup services through a mobile application and website. It also operates virtual convenience stores; and provides software-as-a-service solutions to retailers. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is based in San Francisco, California.

About Iota Communications

Iota Communications, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. It also provides energy conservation solutions. The company operates through Iota Networks, Iota Commercial Solutions, Iota Communications, and Iota Holdings. In addition, the company offers delphi360, a wireless connectivity and data analytics platform to integrate with devices and sensors, as well as provides BrightAI, an analytic platform that gathers information from sensor connectivity. Further, it provides IoT-based LED and smart lighting. Additionally, it offers smart building solutions, a platform for data management. Furthermore, the company serves healthcare, commercial real estate, education, utility, retail, and manufacturing industries; and city and municipals. Iota Communications, Inc. is based in Allentown, Pennsylvania.