Critical Survey: Omron (OTCMKTS:OMRNY) vs. Astrotech (NASDAQ:ASTC)

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

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Astrotech	-1,578.34%	-91.69%	-72.48%
Omron	4.04%	3.68%	2.42%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Astrotech and Omron, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Astrotech	1	0	0	0	1.00
Omron	0	2	0	0	2.00

Institutional & Insider Ownership

24.4% of Astrotech shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 1.1% of Omron shares are held by institutional investors. 16.8% of Astrotech shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Astrotech and Omron”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Astrotech	$910,000.00	15.11	-$14.43 million	($8.49)	-0.81
Omron	$5.10 billion	1.53	$188.01 million	$1.05	37.82

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

Risk and Volatility

Astrotech has a beta of 4.91, meaning that its share price is 391% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Omron has a beta of 1.22, meaning that its share price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Omron beats Astrotech on 8 of the 12 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 Omron

OMRON Corporation engages in industrial automation, device and module solutions, social systems, and healthcare businesses worldwide. The Industrial Automation Business offers sensors, switches, safety and control components, relays, motion and drives, robotics, energy conservation, power supplies, and automation system products. It also offers environmental mobility, digital devices, food and commodity, logistic and warehouse automation, medical, robotic, panel, vision, software, and traceability related solutions. The Social Systems, Solutions and Service Business provides energy, public transport, traffic safety, network protection, payment, infrastructure monitoring, management service, and DX solutions, as well as offers remote surveillance/monitoring, automation/robotics, software development, engineering/maintenance, and other services. The Healthcare Business provides cardiovascular, respiratory care, pain management, remote patient monitoring, and other solutions. The Device and Module Solutions Business offers relays, switches, connectors, and sensors. OMRON Corporation was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Kyoto, Japan.