Contrasting Autoscope Technologies (NASDAQ:AATC) & Spectris (OTCMKTS:SEPJF)

Autoscope Technologies (NASDAQ:AATC) and Spectris (OTCMKTS:SEPJF) are both business services companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends, valuation, risk, earnings and institutional ownership.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Autoscope Technologies and Spectris’ revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Autoscope Technologies	$14.66 million	2.41	$1.20 million	$1.10	5.90
Spectris	N/A	N/A	N/A	$1.17	37.02

Autoscope Technologies has higher revenue and earnings than Spectris. Autoscope Technologies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Spectris, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

61.3% of Spectris shares are owned by institutional investors. 21.6% of Autoscope Technologies shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Autoscope Technologies and Spectris’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Autoscope Technologies	39.12%	20.46%	18.06%
Spectris	N/A	N/A	N/A

Dividends

Autoscope Technologies pays an annual dividend of $0.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.0%. Spectris pays an annual dividend of $0.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Autoscope Technologies pays out 47.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Spectris pays out 23.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Autoscope Technologies and Spectris, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Autoscope Technologies	0	0	0	0	N/A
Spectris	0	2	0	0	2.00

Summary

Autoscope Technologies beats Spectris on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Autoscope Technologies

Autoscope Technologies Corporation develops and markets video and radar processing products for use in intersection control, highway, bridge and tunnel traffic management, and traffic data collection applications in the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. It operates in two segments, Intersection and Highway. The company provides Autoscope video systems that process video input from a traffic scene in real time and extracts the traffic data, including vehicle presence, bicycle presence/differentiation, counts, speed, length, time occupancy, turning movements, and flow rate; and RTMS radar systems that use radar to measure vehicle presence, volume, occupancy, speed, and classification information for roadway monitoring applications. It also offers IntellitraffiQ software that provides traffic measurement and data collection across large and small areas. The company markets and sells its products to end users comprising federal, state, city, and county departments of transportation, port, highway, tunnel, and other transportation authorities, as well as system integrators or other suppliers of systems and services who are operating under subcontracts in connection with road construction contracts. Autoscope Technologies Corporation was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

About Spectris

Spectris plc provides precision measurement solutions worldwide. It operates through Spectris Scientific, Spectris Dynamics, and Other segments. The Spectris Scientific segment provides advanced sensors and instruments used to measure, analyze, and characterize materials; and monitor ultra-clean manufacturing environments. Spectris Dynamics segment offers differentiated sensing, data acquisition, analysis modelling, and simulation solutions for product development and enhance product performance. The Other segment operates high-value precision in-line sensing and monitoring businesses. It serves life sciences/pharmaceuticals, technology-led industrials, automotive, electronics and semiconductor, academic research, and other markets, as well as metals, minerals, and mining. Spectris plc was formerly known as Fairey Group plc and changed its name to Spectris plc in May 2001. The company was incorporated in 1986 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.