Head-To-Head Review: Butler National (OTCMKTS:BUKS) and Bridger Aerospace Group (NASDAQ:BAER)

Butler National (OTCMKTS:BUKS) and Bridger Aerospace Group (NASDAQ:BAER) are both small-cap aerospace companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, earnings and dividends.

Volatility and Risk

Butler National has a beta of 0.19, meaning that its share price is 81% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bridger Aerospace Group has a beta of 0.33, meaning that its share price is 67% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

5.0% of Butler National shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 48.9% of Bridger Aerospace Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 17.6% of Butler National shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 16.4% of Bridger Aerospace Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Butler National and Bridger Aerospace Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Butler National	21.45%	28.47%	15.08%
Bridger Aerospace Group	-10.05%	-1.21%	-3.77%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for Butler National and Bridger Aerospace Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Butler National	0	0	0	0	0.00
Bridger Aerospace Group	1	1	3	0	2.40

Bridger Aerospace Group has a consensus target price of $4.12, suggesting a potential upside of 116.67%. Given Bridger Aerospace Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Bridger Aerospace Group is more favorable than Butler National.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Butler National and Bridger Aerospace Group”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Butler National	$83.97 million	3.89	$12.55 million	$0.30	13.60
Bridger Aerospace Group	$122.83 million	0.87	$4.14 million	($0.84)	-2.26

Butler National has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Bridger Aerospace Group. Bridger Aerospace Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Butler National, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Butler National beats Bridger Aerospace Group on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Butler National

Butler National Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, sells, integrates, installs, repairs, modifies, overhauls, services, and distributes a portfolio of aerostructures, aircraft components, avionics, accessories, subassemblies, and systems in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Aerospace Products and Professional Services. The Aerospace Products segment provides aircraft modifications to business-size aircraft, which include passenger-to-freighter configuration, radar systems, addition of aerial photography capabilities, search and rescue, environmental research, mapping, intelligence surveillance reconnaissance modifications, and stability enhancing modifications for Learjet, Beechcraft, and Cessna aircraft along with other specialized modifications. This segment manufactures, sells, and services electronics for weapon control systems that are used on government aircraft and vehicles; and sells, installs, and repairs aircraft avionics equipment, including airplane radio equipment and flight control systems, as well as troubleshoots and repairs autopilot systems. Its Professional Services segment manages Boot Hill Casino and Resort, a gaming, dining, and entertainment facility in Dodge City, Kansas. The company acquires, refurbishes, and sells airplanes, primarily Learjets; owns properties; and operates a management consulting and administrative services firm that provides business planning and financial coordination to Indian tribes interested in owning and operating casinos. It serves the aviation industry, including owners and operators of private and commercial business and government aircraft and suppliers. Butler National Corporation was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in New Century, Kansas.

About Bridger Aerospace Group

Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, Inc. provides aerial wildfire management, relief and suppression, and firefighting services to federal and state government agencies in the United States. It offers fire suppression services, such as direct fire suppression aerial firefighting support services for ground crew to drop large amounts of water quickly and directly on wildfires. The company also provides aerial surveillance services, including fire suppression aircraft over an incident and tactical coordination with the incident commander through its manned and unmanned aircraft. It operates an aircraft fleet of 18 planes. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Belgrade, Montana.