Astrotech (NASDAQ:ASTC) versus Celestica (NYSE:CLS) Head to Head Analysis

Astrotech (NASDAQ:ASTC) and Celestica (NYSE:CLS) are both technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations and risk.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Astrotech and Celestica, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Astrotech	1	0	0	0	1.00
Celestica	0	1	21	1	3.00

Celestica has a consensus target price of $439.81, indicating a potential upside of 43.59%. Given Celestica’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Celestica is more favorable than Astrotech.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

24.4% of Astrotech shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 67.4% of Celestica shares are owned by institutional investors. 16.8% of Astrotech shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of Celestica shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Astrotech and Celestica”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Astrotech	$1.01 million	15.22	-$13.85 million	($8.41)	-0.86
Celestica	$12.39 billion	2.84	$832.50 million	$9.62	31.84

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

Risk and Volatility

Astrotech has a beta of 4.88, meaning that its stock price is 388% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Celestica has a beta of 2.04, meaning that its stock price is 104% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Astrotech and Celestica’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Astrotech	-1,397.82%	-81.85%	-65.46%
Celestica	7.16%	39.96%	11.06%

Summary

Celestica beats Astrotech on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Astrotech

Astrotech Corporation operates as a mass spectrometry company worldwide. It owns and licenses the intellectual property related to the Astrotech Mass Spectrometer Technology, a platform mass spectrometry technology. The company also develops TRACER 1000, a mass spectrometer-based explosive trace detector to replace the explosives trace detectors used at airports, cargo and other secured facilities, and borders. In addition, it develops AgLAB-1000, a mass spectrometer for use in the hemp and cannabis market. Further, the company develops BreathTest-1000, a breath analysis tool to screen for volatile organic compound metabolites found in a person's breath. The company was formerly known as SPACEHAB, Inc. and changed its name to Astrotech Corporation in 2009. The company was incorporated in 1984 and is based in Austin, Texas.

About Celestica

Celestica Inc. provides supply chain solutions in North America, Europe, and Asia. It operates through two segments: Advanced Technology Solutions, and Connectivity & Cloud Solutions. The company offers a range of product manufacturing and related supply chain services, including design and development, new product introduction, engineering services, component sourcing, electronics manufacturing and assembly, testing, complex mechanical assembly, systems integration, precision machining, order fulfillment, logistics, asset management, product licensing, and after-market repair and return services. It also provides hardware platform solutions, which includes development of infrastructure platforms, and hardware and software design solutions and services which is used as-is or customized for specific applications; and management of program including design and supply chain, manufacturing, and after-market support, including IT asset disposition and asset management services. The company offers its products and services to original equipment manufacturers, cloud-based, and other service providers, including hyperscalers, and other companies in aerospace and defense, industrial, HealthTech, capital equipment, and communication and enterprise markets. Celestica Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.