Ascent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:ASTI – Get Free Report) and SemiLEDS (NASDAQ:LEDS – Get Free Report) are both small-cap technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, risk, valuation and dividends.
Risk and Volatility
Ascent Solar Technologies has a beta of 1.75, indicating that its stock price is 75% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SemiLEDS has a beta of 1.58, indicating that its stock price is 58% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Ascent Solar Technologies and SemiLEDS’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Ascent Solar Technologies | -4,217.19% | -85.21% | -64.83% |
| SemiLEDS | -3.92% | -43.09% | -6.39% |
Analyst Ratings
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Ascent Solar Technologies | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
| SemiLEDS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
Ascent Solar Technologies currently has a consensus target price of $20.00, indicating a potential upside of 599.30%. Given Ascent Solar Technologies’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Ascent Solar Technologies is more favorable than SemiLEDS.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Ascent Solar Technologies and SemiLEDS”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Ascent Solar Technologies | $191,335.00 | 146.73 | -$7.83 million | ($1.48) | -1.93 |
| SemiLEDS | $25.93 million | 0.69 | -$1.13 million | ($0.13) | -16.54 |
SemiLEDS has higher revenue and earnings than Ascent Solar Technologies. SemiLEDS is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ascent Solar Technologies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
10.6% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.3% of SemiLEDS shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.1% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 58.5% of SemiLEDS shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
SemiLEDS beats Ascent Solar Technologies on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Ascent Solar Technologies
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a solar technology company, engages in the manufacture and sale of photovoltaic solar modules in the United States. The company markets and sells its products through OEMs, system integrators, distributors, retailers, and value-added resellers. It serves agrivoltaics, aerospace, satellites, near earth orbiting vehicles, and fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles. Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Thornton, Colorado.
About SemiLEDS
SemiLEDs Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells light emitting diode (LED) chips, LED components, and LED modules and systems in the United States, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, and internationally. The company also sells enhanced vertical, LED product series in blue, white, green, and UV; LED chips to packagers or distributors; and lighting products primarily to original design manufacturers of lighting products and the end-users of lighting devices, as well as packs and sells its LED chips. Its products are used for general lighting applications, including commercial, industrial, and residential lighting; and specialty industrial applications, such as ultraviolet or UV, curing of polymers, LED light therapy in medical/cosmetic applications, counterfeit detection, germicidal and viricidal devices LED lighting for horticulture applications, architectural lighting, and entertainment lighting. The company was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Chu-Nan, Taiwan.
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