Comparing LanzaTech Global (NASDAQ:LNZA) and American Environmental Partners (OTCMKTS:AEPT)

LanzaTech Global (NASDAQ:LNZA) and American Environmental Partners (OTCMKTS:AEPT) are both small-cap business services companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends and valuation.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

17.8% of LanzaTech Global shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 2.3% of American Environmental Partners shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.6% of LanzaTech Global shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares LanzaTech Global and American Environmental Partners’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LanzaTech Global	-223.03%	-180.10%	-58.54%
American Environmental Partners	N/A	N/A	N/A

Risk & Volatility

LanzaTech Global has a beta of 1.58, meaning that its stock price is 58% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, American Environmental Partners has a beta of 1.05, meaning that its stock price is 5% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for LanzaTech Global and American Environmental Partners, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LanzaTech Global	0	1	3	0	2.75
American Environmental Partners	0	0	0	0	0.00

LanzaTech Global presently has a consensus target price of $6.00, suggesting a potential upside of 466.04%. Given LanzaTech Global’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe LanzaTech Global is more favorable than American Environmental Partners.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares LanzaTech Global and American Environmental Partners”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LanzaTech Global	$62.63 million	3.35	-$134.10 million	($0.65)	-1.63
American Environmental Partners	$23.81 million	0.03	-$15.06 million	($0.03)	-0.05

American Environmental Partners has lower revenue, but higher earnings than LanzaTech Global. LanzaTech Global is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American Environmental Partners, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

LanzaTech Global beats American Environmental Partners on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LanzaTech Global

LanzaTech Global, Inc. operates as a nature-based carbon refining company in the United States and internationally. The company transforms waste carbon into the chemical building blocks for consumer goods, such as sustainable fuels, fabrics, and packaging. It is also developing biocatalysts and processes to produce a suite of additional products utilizing novel biocatalysts, including acetone and isopropanol (IPA) and industrial solvents used in various applications, including production of polymers from IPA. LanzaTech Global, Inc. was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Skokie, Illinois.

About American Environmental Partners

American Environmental Partners, Inc., through its subsidiaries, sources, treats, and distributes reclaimed water in the United States. It engages in the designing, construction, and operation of regional water treatment facilities that serve industrial, energy, and government sectors. The company also focuses on drilling, operating, and partnership opportunities in the upstream oil and gas space. It also provides geotechnical services; educational marketing platforms of podcasts and videography; and construction, drilling, flowback, completions, and well-site services. The company was formerly known as American Energy Partners, Inc. and changed its name to American Environmental Partners, Inc. in October 2023. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.