Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFA – Get Free Report) and ESS Tech (NYSE:GWH – Get Free Report) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, valuation and analyst recommendations.
Volatility and Risk
Bel Fuse has a beta of 1.21, indicating that its stock price is 21% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ESS Tech has a beta of 1.43, indicating that its stock price is 43% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Bel Fuse and ESS Tech, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Bel Fuse | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3.00 |
| ESS Tech | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Bel Fuse and ESS Tech”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Bel Fuse | $534.79 million | 3.58 | $40.96 million | $4.93 | 30.64 |
| ESS Tech | $6.30 million | 6.52 | -$86.22 million | ($5.10) | -0.41 |
Bel Fuse has higher revenue and earnings than ESS Tech. ESS Tech is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bel Fuse, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
6.0% of Bel Fuse shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 46.8% of ESS Tech shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.5% of Bel Fuse shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of ESS Tech shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Bel Fuse and ESS Tech’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Bel Fuse | 10.04% | 21.18% | 8.77% |
| ESS Tech | -1,045.28% | -592.34% | -125.15% |
Summary
Bel Fuse beats ESS Tech on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Bel Fuse
Bel Fuse Inc. designs, manufactures, markets, and sells products that power, protect, and connect electronic circuits. The company's products are used in the networking, telecommunications, computing, general industrial, high-speed data transmission, military, commercial aerospace, transportation, and e-Mobility industries. It provides power solutions and protection products, including front-end power supplies, board-mount power products, industrial and transportation power products, external power products, and circuit protection products. The company also offers connectivity solutions, such as expanded beam fiber optic connectors, cable assemblies, and active optical devices; copper-based connectors/cable assemblies; radio frequency connectors, cable assemblies, microwave devices, and low loss cables; and ethernet, I/O, and industrial and power connectivity products. In addition, it provides magnetic solutions comprising integrated connector modules, power transformers, SMD power inductors and SMPS transformers, and ethernet discrete components. The company sells its products through direct strategic account managers, regional sales managers working with independent sales representative organizations, and authorized distributors in the United States, the People's Republic of China, Macao, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Germany, India, Switzerland, and internationally. Bel Fuse Inc. was incorporated in 1949 and is headquartered in West Orange, New Jersey.
About ESS Tech
ESS Tech, Inc., an energy storage company, designs and produces iron flow batteries for commercial and utility-scale energy storage applications worldwide. It offers energy storage products, which include Energy Warehouse, a behind-the-meter solution; and Energy Center, a front-of-the-meter solution. The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon.
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