Barchart’s Top 100 Stocks to Buy had 12 new entrants in Monday's trading. Among them was a small-cap stock, Mint (MIMI), that jumped into the 56th position. 

The Hong Kong-based company provides office and retail design and buildout services for commercial properties. Yesterday, it announced that it was establishing a new division called Axonex Intelligence Limited.

Its shares jumped 14% on the news. They're now up 162% in 2025. That’s some move. 

“[A] leading Hong Kong-based provider of integrated interior design and fit out works …. Building on this foundation, MINT is extending its expertise to harness robotics, IoT, and AI technologies to enhance the way properties are managed and experienced,” the company’s Sept. 15 press release stated. 

The magic two words: AI or artificial intelligence, explain the stock’s big move. The question is whether it can hold a candle to CBRE (CBRE), a global player in facilities and property management.

With three times its average daily volume yesterday, MIMI stock has definitely caught the attention of retail investors. 

Should you consider buying its stock on the news? Or, should you get to know CBRE a little more closely, opting for a lower-risk bet on this part of the commercial real estate market?

Here are my two cents.

Who Is Mint and Why Should You Care?

The short answer: you probably shouldn’t unless you’re really into small-cap stocks. 

Mint went public in January, selling 1.75 million Class A shares at $4. 

It planned to use 30% of the net proceeds for geographic expansion into the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Another 30% for potential acquisitions, 10% for upgrading its IT, and 30% for general corporate purposes, such as working capital.

That’s easy to understand. However, $7 million in gross proceeds doesn’t get you very far, at least not if you plan to make any acquisitions with the funds. 

Nonetheless, its business was profitable and growing in 2024, so its positive cash flow should help increase its liquidity available to make bigger acquisitions. 

It’s important to note that in fiscal 2025 (March year-end), it had an operating loss of $2.35 million on $3.05 million. So, not only were its sales lower in 2025, but it went from an $890,789 operating profit to a significant operating loss. 

Further, over the past three years, its gross margin has fallen by more than half, from 47.3% in 2023 to 22.2% in 2025. Margins were down due to lower revenue. 

The prospectus says the following about the Hong Kong interior design and fit-out works market:

“According to the Hong Kong Property Review 2023, office completions in 2022 rose significantly to 351,300 square meter; commercial completions in 2022 rose significantly to 117,700 square meter; and residential completions in 2022 rose to 21,168 units with an increase of 47% from 2021.”

For those not used to metric, a square meter equals 10.76 square feet. Unquestionably, there’s a market for these services. Whether they can scale the business, given the healthy competition that exists, is another thing altogether.

My biggest concern if I were considering a risk-on bet in MIMI would be the move to establish a new business when the main business is losing revenue, not gaining it. 

The AI Bet 

Everybody and their dog is making AI bets these days. Why should Mint be any different? 

The company’s press release launching Axonex states, “Axonex provides total solutions for smart facility management, integrating advanced technologies to improve efficiency, safety, and user experience across different property types.”

That all sounds well and good. 

However, before investing your hard-earned capital in Mint, consider that CBRE’s Building Operations & Experience (BOE) segment accounts for 46% of its overall revenue, with facilities and property management revenues up 17% (76% of the segment’s revenue) and 30% (24% in the quarter ended June 30. 

Without closely following CBRE, I’m confident the nearly $50 billion market cap has dipped its toe in the AI swimming pool. Wouldn’t it make more sense to consider betting on CBRE rather than MIMI? You bet it would. 

CBRE’s Ellis AI platform utilizes AI-powered digital assistants to provide a greater level of automation and analytical insights for its facilities management. These innovative solutions are intended to deliver improved facilities management while reducing the cost of providing these services. A win/win. 

“Integrated facilities management solutions must be inherently smart enabled, leveraging building automation, IoT, AI, and advanced analytics to increase efficiency, improve reliability, drive sustainability and enhance the workplace experience,” CBRE’s website states, discussing facilities management.   

As CBRE points out, it has approximately 39 billion data points from over 300 sources to guide its facilities and property management decisions. 

In the first half of 2025, CBRE’s total revenue was $18.66 billion, 14% higher than a year earlier, with operating income of $649 million, 44% higher year-over-year. 

I don’t know about you, but there’s no question which of the two will definitely be around in five or 10 years from now. 

CBRE stock is up 25% in 2025 and 238% over the past five years, more than double the S&P 500. There’s no reason to think that it won’t double or triple again over the next five years. 

As the legendary Canadian investment manager, Stephen Jarislowsky, used to say about IPOs, “New issues are typically well promoted …. My experience is that you can buy nine out of 10 new issues at a lower price a year or two later. … I generally avoid new issues…” Jarislowky wrote in his book The Investment Zoo.

If you’re going to bet on AI and facilities management stocks, MIMI can’t hold a candle to CBRE. It’s not even close. Mint is a classic meme stock. Stay away.

On the date of publication, Will Ashworth did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.