Littelfuse (NASDAQ:LFUS – Get Free Report) and Acorn Energy (NASDAQ:ACFN – Get Free Report) are both technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, risk, earnings and dividends.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Littelfuse and Acorn Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Littelfuse | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3.00 |
| Acorn Energy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
Littelfuse presently has a consensus target price of $466.57, indicating a potential upside of 21.70%. Given Littelfuse’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Littelfuse is more favorable than Acorn Energy.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Littelfuse and Acorn Energy”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Littelfuse | $2.39 billion | 4.08 | -$71.70 million | $1.22 | 314.24 |
| Acorn Energy | $9.68 million | 3.99 | $2.51 million | $0.88 | 17.34 |
Acorn Energy has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Littelfuse. Acorn Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Littelfuse, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
96.1% of Littelfuse shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of Littelfuse shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 35.6% of Acorn Energy shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Dividends
Littelfuse pays an annual dividend of $3.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Acorn Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Littelfuse pays out 262.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Acorn Energy pays out 15.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Littelfuse has increased its dividend for 15 consecutive years. Acorn Energy is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.
Volatility & Risk
Littelfuse has a beta of 1.5, suggesting that its share price is 50% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Acorn Energy has a beta of 0.41, suggesting that its share price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Littelfuse and Acorn Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Littelfuse | 1.37% | 15.86% | 10.16% |
| Acorn Energy | 23.04% | 17.04% | 10.55% |
Summary
Littelfuse beats Acorn Energy on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Littelfuse
Littelfuse, Inc. is a global manufacturer of products that help protect and control electrical systems. Its offerings include fuses and other circuit-protection components, power-control devices, sensors, and electronic components used in a range of applications. The company serves customers in markets including automotive, industrial, commercial vehicles, and electronics. Its products are used to protect equipment from electrical faults, manage power, and monitor conditions in systems and devices.
About Acorn Energy
Acorn Energy, Inc. is a technology company focused on energy infrastructure management and remote monitoring solutions. Through its operating businesses, the company develops systems that help customers monitor, control and maintain distributed energy assets and other critical infrastructure. Acorn Energy’s principal operating business is OmniMetrix, which provides remote monitoring and control solutions for backup power generators and cathodic protection systems. Its products use communications networks and cloud-based software to provide alerts, operating information and other data intended to help customers improve equipment reliability, maintenance and regulatory compliance.
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