Critical Analysis: Symbid (OTCMKTS:SINC) versus Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB)

Symbid (OTCMKTS:SINC) and Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability, risk, dividends, valuation and earnings.

Volatility and Risk

Symbid has a beta of -58.81, indicating that its share price is 5,981% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Proto Labs has a beta of 1.33, indicating that its share price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Symbid and Proto Labs’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Symbid	-84.82%	-6,475.93%	-49.47%
Proto Labs	2.99%	2.22%	1.99%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Symbid and Proto Labs, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Symbid	0	0	0	0	0.00
Proto Labs	0	2	1	0	2.33

Proto Labs has a consensus target price of $43.00, indicating a potential upside of 7.55%. Given Proto Labs’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Proto Labs is more favorable than Symbid.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

84.5% of Proto Labs shares are owned by institutional investors. 78.3% of Symbid shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of Proto Labs shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Symbid and Proto Labs”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Symbid	$1.16 million	0.14	-$3.79 million	N/A	N/A
Proto Labs	$500.89 million	1.90	$16.59 million	$0.60	66.63

Proto Labs has higher revenue and earnings than Symbid.

Summary

Proto Labs beats Symbid on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Symbid

Sincerity Applied Materials Holdings Corp. provides packing materials for the automotive, packaging, building and construction, and engineering industries in Australia, Asia, and the Middle East. The company primarily offers breathable plastic films and modified atmosphere packaging products for the packaging of perishable foods, as well as extruded plastic components comprising moldings, auto interior components, kitchen splash backs, etc. to end users and distributors. Its products are used in packaging, agriculture, automotive and transportation, paint and coating, construction, personal care and hygiene, electronic, pharmaceutical, energy and natural resource, plastic, and rubber and leather applications. Sincerity Applied Materials Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Sydney, Australia.

About Proto Labs

Proto Labs, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital manufacturer of custom parts in the United States and Europe. The company offers injection molding; computer numerical control machining; three-dimensional printing; and sheet metal fabrication products. It serves developers and engineers, who use 3D computer-aided design software to design products across a range of end-markets. Proto Labs, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Maple Plain, Minnesota.