Harbor Diversified (OTCMKTS:HRBR) versus Mesa Air Group (NASDAQ:MESA) Critical Survey

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

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

Risk and Volatility

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

Institutional and Insider Ownership

13.3% of Mesa Air Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of Harbor Diversified shares are held by institutional investors. 4.6% of Mesa Air Group shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Harbor Diversified shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Mesa Air Group and Harbor Diversified”s 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 breakdown of current ratings for Mesa Air Group and Harbor Diversified, as provided 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

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.