ZJK Industrial (NASDAQ:ZJK – Get Free Report) and Ascent Industries (NASDAQ:ACNT – Get Free Report) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations and dividends.
Risk and Volatility
ZJK Industrial has a beta of 1.52, meaning that its stock price is 52% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ascent Industries has a beta of 0.5, meaning that its stock price is 50% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent ratings for ZJK Industrial and Ascent Industries, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| ZJK Industrial | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
| Ascent Industries | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
Earnings and Valuation
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| ZJK Industrial | $37.81 million | 3.36 | $3.68 million | N/A | N/A |
| Ascent Industries | $177.87 million | 0.84 | -$13.60 million | $0.12 | 132.75 |
ZJK Industrial has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Ascent Industries.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
26.1% of Ascent Industries shares are held by institutional investors. 9.3% of Ascent Industries shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares ZJK Industrial and Ascent Industries’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| ZJK Industrial | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Ascent Industries | 0.85% | -1.63% | -1.09% |
Summary
ZJK Industrial beats Ascent Industries on 5 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.
About ZJK Industrial
ZJK Industrial Co. Ltd. is a high-tech enterprise specialized in manufacturing and sale of precision fasteners, structural parts and other precision metal parts products applied in a variety of industries, including intelligent electronic equipment, new energy vehicles, aerospace, energy storage systems and liquid cooling systems used in artificial intelligence supercomputers. ZJK Industrial Co. Ltd. is based in Shenzhen, China.
About Ascent Industries
Ascent Industries Co. an industrials company, produces and distributes stainless steel pipe and tube and specialty chemicals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Tubular Products and Specialty Chemicals. It manufactures welded pipes and tubes, primarily from stainless steel, duplex, and nickel alloys; and ornamental stainless steel tubes for automotive, commercial transportation, marine, food services, construction, furniture, healthcare, and other industries. The company also produces defoamers, surfactants, and lubricating agents for end users, including companies that supply agrochemical paper, metal working, coatings, water treatment, paint, mining, oil and gas, and janitorial and other applications. In addition, it provides contract manufacturing services, as well as operates as a multi-purpose plant to process various difficult to handle materials, including flammable solvents, viscous liquids, and granular solids. The company was formerly known as Synalloy Corporation and changed its name to Ascent Industries Co. in August 2022. Ascent Industries Co. was founded in 1945 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.
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