Reviewing DNOW (NYSE:DNOW) and Crawford United (OTCMKTS:CRAWA)

DNOW (NYSE:DNOW) and Crawford United (OTCMKTS:CRAWA) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, valuation, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares DNOW and Crawford United”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
DNOW	$2.82 billion	0.87	-$89.00 million	($0.73)	-18.50
Crawford United	$150.20 million	1.95	$13.60 million	$4.95	16.65

Crawford United has lower revenue, but higher earnings than DNOW. DNOW is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Crawford United, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

97.6% of DNOW shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of Crawford United shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of DNOW shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 37.9% of Crawford United shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares DNOW and Crawford United’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
DNOW	-4.14%	4.94%	2.97%
Crawford United	10.08%	22.40%	13.94%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for DNOW and Crawford United, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
DNOW	1	1	3	0	2.40
Crawford United	0	0	0	0	0.00

DNOW presently has a consensus price target of $17.00, suggesting a potential upside of 25.88%. Given DNOW’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe DNOW is more favorable than Crawford United.

Risk & Volatility

DNOW has a beta of 0.82, meaning that its stock price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Crawford United has a beta of 0.79, meaning that its stock price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Crawford United beats DNOW on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About DNOW

DNOW Inc. distributes downstream energy and industrial products for petroleum refining, chemical processing, LNG terminals, power generation utilities, and customer on-site locations in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company provides consumable maintenance, repair, and operating supplies; pipes, manual and automated valves, fittings, flanges, gaskets, fasteners, electrical instrumentations, artificial lift, pumping solutions, valve actuation and modular process, and measurement and control equipment; and mill supplies, tools, safety supplies, and personal protective equipment, as well as artificial lift systems, coatings, and miscellaneous expendable items. It also offers original equipment manufacturer equipment, including pumps, generator sets, air compressors, dryers, blowers, mixers, and valves; modular oil and gas tank battery solutions; and application systems, work processes, parts integration, optimization solutions, and after-sales support services. In addition, the company provides supply chain and materials management; inventory planning and management, procurement, and warehouse management, as well as solutions for logistics, point of issue technology, project management, business process, and performance metrics reporting services. It serves customers in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors of the energy industry, including drilling contractors, well-servicing companies, independent and national oil and gas companies, midstream operators, and refineries, as well as petrochemical, chemical, utilities, RNG facilities, and other downstream energy processors; and industrial and manufacturing companies. The company was formerly known as NOW Inc. and changed its name to DNOW Inc. in January 2024. DNOW Inc. was founded in 1862 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

About Crawford United

Crawford United Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides specialty industrial products in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, and internationally. It operates through two segments: Commercial Air Handling Equipment; and Industrial and Transportation Products. The Commercial Air Handling segment designs, manufactures, and installs large-scale commercial, institutional, and industrial custom air handling solutions to health care, education, pharmaceutical, and industrial manufacturing markets under the FactoryBilt and SiteBilt brand names. The Industrial and Transportation Products segment is involved in the manufacture of flexible interlocking metal hoses primarily to heavy-duty truck manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers, as well as to the agricultural, industrial, and petrochemical markets; and distribution of silicone and hydraulic hoses to the agriculture and general industrial markets. It also provides engineering, machining, grinding, welding, brazing, heat treat, and assembly solutions; rubber and plastic marine hose for the recreational boating industry; engineered manufacturing solutions, including CNC machining, anodizing, electro polishing, and laser marking for defense, aerospace, and medical device markets; and hydraulic hoses, air tank assemblies, and related products to manufacturers of firefighting trucks and other emergency vehicles. In addition, the company engages in the supply of highly engineered forgings for the aerospace, industrial gas turbine, medical prosthetics, alternative energy, petrochemical, and defense industries; and developing and commercializing marketing and data analytic technology applications. The company was formerly known as Hickok Incorporated and changed its name to Crawford United Corporation in May 2019. Crawford United Corporation was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.