Broadwind Energy (NASDAQ:BWEN – 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 companies based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and risk.
Profitability
This table compares Broadwind Energy and Ascent Industries’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Broadwind Energy | 3.30% | -2.05% | -1.09% |
| Ascent Industries | 1.54% | -4.37% | -3.31% |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Broadwind Energy and Ascent Industries”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Broadwind Energy | $158.05 million | 0.57 | $5.24 million | $0.22 | 17.36 |
| Ascent Industries | $74.94 million | 1.69 | $870,000.00 | $0.13 | 107.85 |
Broadwind Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Ascent Industries. Broadwind Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ascent Industries, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Broadwind Energy and Ascent Industries, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Broadwind Energy | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Ascent Industries | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
Broadwind Energy presently has a consensus target price of $6.00, suggesting a potential upside of 57.07%. Given Broadwind Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Broadwind Energy is more favorable than Ascent Industries.
Volatility and Risk
Broadwind Energy has a beta of 1.73, suggesting that its share price is 73% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ascent Industries has a beta of 0.57, suggesting that its share price is 43% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
33.3% of Broadwind Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 26.1% of Ascent Industries shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.1% of Broadwind Energy shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 9.3% of Ascent Industries shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Summary
Broadwind Energy beats Ascent Industries on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Broadwind Energy
Broadwind, Inc. manufactures and sells structures, equipment, and components for clean tech and other specialized applications primarily in the United States. It operates through three segments: Heavy Fabrications, Gearing, and Industrial Solutions. The Heavy Fabrications segment provides fabrications to various industrial markets. It offers steel towers and adapters primarily to wind turbine manufacturers. Its Gearing segment provides gearing, gearboxes, and precision machined components to a range of customers in diverse markets, including surface and underground mining, wind energy, steel, material handling, infrastructure, onshore and offshore oil and gas fracking and drilling, marine, and other industrial markets. This segment also offers heat treat services for aftermarket and original equipment manufacturer applications. The Industrial Solutions segment provides supply chain solutions for offering instrumentation and controls, valve assemblies, sensor devices, fuel system components, electrical junction boxes and wiring, energy storage services, and electromechanical devices; light fabrication, inventory management, and kitting and assembly services; packaging solutions; and supply chain solutions, light fabrication, inventory management, and kitting and assembly services for combined cycle natural gas turbine market. It sells its products to the energy, mining, and infrastructure sectors through its direct sales force and independent sales agents. The company was formerly known as Broadwind Energy, Inc. and changed its name to Broadwind, Inc. in May 2020. Broadwind, Inc. is headquartered in Cicero, Illinois.
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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