Harbor Diversified (OTCMKTS:HRBR) & Mesa Air Group (NASDAQ:MESA) Head-To-Head Analysis

Mesa Air Group (NASDAQ:MESA) and Harbor Diversified (OTCMKTS:HRBR) are both small-cap transportation companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, risk and institutional ownership.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

13.3% of Mesa Air Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of Harbor Diversified shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.6% of Mesa Air Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Harbor Diversified shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Mesa Air Group and Harbor Diversified’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mesa Air Group	-19.86%	-32.45%	-6.74%
Harbor Diversified	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Mesa Air Group and Harbor Diversified”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Mesa Air Group	$498.07 million	0.07	-$120.12 million	($2.30)	-0.38
Harbor Diversified	$199.21 million	0.29	-$15.98 million	($0.39)	-2.69

Harbor Diversified has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Mesa Air Group. Harbor Diversified is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Mesa Air Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Mesa Air Group and Harbor Diversified, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Mesa Air Group	0	0	0	0	N/A
Harbor Diversified	0	0	0	0	N/A

Risk & Volatility

Mesa Air Group has a beta of 3.12, indicating that its share price is 212% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Harbor Diversified has a beta of 1.97, indicating that its share price is 97% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Harbor Diversified beats Mesa Air Group on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Mesa Air Group

Mesa Air Group, Inc. operates as the holding company for Mesa Airlines, Inc. that provides regional air carrier scheduled passenger services. The company offers scheduled flight and cargo services. As of September 30, 2023, it operated a fleet of 80 aircraft with approximately 296 daily departures to 86 cities in the United States and Mexico. Mesa Air Group, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

About Harbor Diversified

Harbor Diversified, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides air transportation services in the United States. It also leases and finances flight equipment. As of December 31, 2022, it owned and operated a fleet of 64 regional jets. The company was formerly known as Harbor BioSciences, Inc. and changed its name to Harbor Diversified, Inc. in February 2012. Harbor Diversified, Inc. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin.