Acorn Energy (NASDAQ:ACFN – Get Free Report) and nLight (NASDAQ:LASR – Get Free Report) are both technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, risk, dividends and earnings.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
83.9% of nLight shares are held by institutional investors. 35.6% of Acorn Energy shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.1% of nLight shares are held 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.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings for Acorn Energy and nLight, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Acorn Energy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| nLight | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2.82 |
Profitability
This table compares Acorn Energy and nLight’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Acorn Energy | 16.12% | 10.06% | 6.32% |
| nLight | -4.02% | -2.83% | -2.26% |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Acorn Energy and nLight”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Acorn Energy | $11.48 million | 4.25 | $2.51 million | $0.61 | 31.89 |
| nLight | $261.33 million | 8.96 | -$23.47 million | ($0.25) | -162.42 |
Acorn Energy has higher earnings, but lower revenue than nLight. nLight is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Acorn Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk and Volatility
Acorn Energy has a beta of 0.31, meaning that its share price is 69% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, nLight has a beta of 2.37, meaning that its share price is 137% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
nLight beats Acorn Energy on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Acorn Energy
Acorn Energy, Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops and markets wireless remote monitoring and control systems for various markets in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Power Generation (PG) Monitoring and Cathodic Protection (CP) Monitoring. The PG segment provides wireless remote monitoring and control systems, and services for critical assets, which include stand-by power generators, compressors, pumps, pumpjacks, light towers, turbines, and other industrial equipment; and Internet of Things applications. The CP segment offers remote monitoring of cathodic protection systems on gas pipelines for gas utilities and pipeline companies. The company was incorporated in 1986 and is based in Wilmington, Delaware.
About nLight
nLIGHT, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and sells semiconductor and fiber lasers for industrial, microfabrication, and aerospace and defense applications. The company operates in two segments, Laser Products and Advanced Development. It offers semiconductor lasers with various ranges of power levels, wavelengths, and output fiber sizes; and programmable and serviceable fiber lasers for use in industrial and aerospace and defense applications. The company also provides laser sensors, including light detection and ranging technologies for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance applications; and fiber amplifiers, beam combination, and control systems for use in high-energy laser systems in directed energy applications. It sells its products through direct sales force in the United States, China, South Korea, and European countries, as well as through independent sales representatives and distributors in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. The company was formerly known as nLight Photonics Corporation and changed its name to nLIGHT, Inc. in January 2016. nLIGHT, Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Camas, Washington.
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