Analyzing ABCO Energy (OTCMKTS:ABCE) and Data I/O (NASDAQ:DAIO)

ABCO Energy (OTCMKTS:ABCE) and Data I/O (NASDAQ:DAIO) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares ABCO Energy and Data I/O’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ABCO Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A
Data I/O	-41.85%	-54.33%	-36.75%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for ABCO Energy and Data I/O, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ABCO Energy	0	0	0	0	0.00
Data I/O	1	1	1	2	2.80

Data I/O has a consensus target price of $5.11, indicating a potential upside of 36.41%. Given Data I/O’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Data I/O is more favorable than ABCO Energy.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares ABCO Energy and Data I/O”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ABCO Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Data I/O	$18.57 million	1.89	-$5.24 million	($0.84)	-4.46

ABCO Energy has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Data I/O.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

37.0% of Data I/O shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of ABCO Energy shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 4.1% of Data I/O shares are owned 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.

Summary

Data I/O beats ABCO Energy on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ABCO Energy

ABCO Energy, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an electrical product and services supplier in the United States. The company sells and installs solar photovoltaic electric systems that allow customers to produce power on their residence or business property. It also sells and installs energy efficient lighting products, solar powered streetlights, and lighting accessories to residential and commercial customers. In addition, the company offers solar leasing and long term financing programs to its customers, and other marketing and installation organizations. Further, the company provides operations and maintenance services to residential and commercial customers. The company was formerly known as ENYC and changed its name to ABCO Energy, Inc. in October 2011. ABCO Energy, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is based in Tucson, Arizona.

About Data I/O

Data I/O Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of programming and security deployment systems and services for electronic device manufacturers in the United States, Europe, and internationally. Its programming system products are used to program integrated circuits (ICs) with the specific data for the ICs. The company offers PSV handlers off-line automated programming systems, such as PSV2800 automated programming system which focuses on high-volume manufacturing in a lower cost platform; PSV7000 automated programming system for security deployment upgrades; PSV5000 automated programming system that combines mid-range capacity and supports security deployment; and PSV3500 automated programming system which provides basic programming needs. It also provides SentriX security deployment system; and LumenX and non-automated FlashPAK III programming systems. In addition, the company offers hardware support, system installation and repair, and device programming services. It markets and sells its products to original equipment manufacturers in automotive and consumer electronics, internet of things, and industrial, as well as electronic manufacturing service contract manufacturers through direct sales, and indirect sales representatives and distributors. Data I/O Corporation was incorporated in 1969 and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.