XWELL (NASDAQ:XWEL) versus Aspen Group (NASDAQ:ASPU) Critical Review

XWELL (NASDAQ:XWEL) and Aspen Group (NASDAQ:ASPU) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and earnings.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for XWELL and Aspen Group, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
XWELL	1	0	0	0	1.00
Aspen Group	0	0	0	0	0.00

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares XWELL and Aspen Group”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
XWELL	$29.21 million	0.28	-$16.99 million	($5.62)	-0.17
Aspen Group	$74.29 million	0.14	-$13.58 million	$0.18	1.78

Aspen Group has higher revenue and earnings than XWELL. XWELL is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aspen Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

8.7% of XWELL shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 10.6% of Aspen Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 13.9% of XWELL shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 8.0% of Aspen Group 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.

Profitability

This table compares XWELL and Aspen Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
XWELL	-81.43%	-2,318.99%	-116.79%
Aspen Group	-34.13%	N/A	N/A

Risk & Volatility

XWELL has a beta of 1.03, indicating that its share price is 3% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Aspen Group has a beta of -0.88, indicating that its share price is 188% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Aspen Group beats XWELL on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About XWELL

XWELL, Inc. provides health and wellness services in airport and off airport marketplaces in the United States and internationally. It operates in four segments: XpresSpa, XpresTest, Naples Wax Center, and Treat. The XpresSpa segment traveler's spa services, including massage, nail, and skin care services, as well as spa and travel products. The XpresTest segment offers diagnostic COVID-19 tests at XpresCheck Wellness Centers in airports, to airport employees and to the traveling public but has transitioned to the CDC's bio-surveillance program; and provides marketing support through HyperPointe business to various health and health-related channels. The Napple Wax Center segment offers skincare and cometic products, as well as face and body waxing services. The Treat segment provides access to wellness services for travelers at on-site centers, consisting of self-guided yoga, meditation, and low impact weight exercises programs. The company offers its services through stores, kiosks, and online. The company was formerly known as XpresSpa Group, Inc. and changed its name to XWELL, Inc. in October 2022. XWELL, Inc. is based in New York, New York.

About Aspen Group

Aspen Group, Inc., an education technology company, provides online higher education services in the United States. The company offers baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degree programs in nursing and health sciences, business and technology, arts and sciences, and education fields through Aspen University and United States University. As of April 30, 2022, it had 13,334 degree-seeking students enrolled. Aspen Group, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in New York, New York.