Comparing Energy Vault (NYSE:NRGV) & NET Power (NYSE:NPWR)

Energy Vault (NYSE:NRGV) and NET Power (NYSE:NPWR) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability and risk.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Energy Vault and NET Power”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Energy Vault	$203.67 million	2.78	-$103.61 million	($0.65)	-5.04
NET Power	N/A	N/A	-$578.63 million	($7.32)	-0.21

Energy Vault has higher revenue and earnings than NET Power. Energy Vault is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than NET Power, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Energy Vault and NET Power, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Energy Vault	3	0	1	0	1.50
NET Power	1	1	1	0	2.00

Energy Vault currently has a consensus target price of $4.03, suggesting a potential upside of 22.90%. NET Power has a consensus target price of $3.50, suggesting a potential upside of 128.01%. Given NET Power’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe NET Power is more favorable than Energy Vault.

Volatility and Risk

Energy Vault has a beta of 0.9, suggesting that its share price is 10% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, NET Power has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its share price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Energy Vault and NET Power’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Energy Vault	-50.87%	-106.69%	-35.52%
NET Power	N/A	70.31%	23.17%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

40.0% of Energy Vault shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 53.6% of NET Power shares are owned by institutional investors. 15.4% of Energy Vault shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of NET Power shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

NET Power beats Energy Vault on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Energy Vault

Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. develops and sells energy storage solutions. The company offers B-Vault, an electrochemical battery energy storage systems for shorter-duration energy storage needs; G-Vault, a proprietary gravity energy storage solution, including EVx solution; and H-Vault, a hybrid energy storage systems including systems that integrate green hydrogen. Its software solutions includes Vault-OS, an energy management system the management of one or more diverse storage mediums; Vault-Bidder that utilizes machine learning algorithms to match node-specific data with real-time weather and asset performance information; and Vault-Manager which designs to safeguard asset management and to help blend developing technologies seamlessly into existing solutions. Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. is based in Westlake Village, California.

About NET Power

NET Power Inc. operates as a clean energy technology company. The company invents, develops, and licenses clean power generation technology. NET Power Inc. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.