Astronics (NASDAQ:ATRO) vs. Héroux-Devtek (OTCMKTS:HERXF) Head-To-Head Analysis

Héroux-Devtek (OTCMKTS:HERXF) and Astronics (NASDAQ:ATRO) are both industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Héroux-Devtek and Astronics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Héroux-Devtek	N/A	N/A	N/A
Astronics	5.12%	49.34%	12.10%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Héroux-Devtek and Astronics, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Héroux-Devtek	0	0	0	0	0.00
Astronics	1	0	2	3	3.17

Astronics has a consensus target price of $74.17, indicating a potential upside of 6.73%. Given Astronics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Astronics is more favorable than Héroux-Devtek.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

54.4% of Héroux-Devtek shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.7% of Astronics shares are held by institutional investors. 8.9% of Astronics shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Héroux-Devtek and Astronics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Héroux-Devtek	N/A	N/A	N/A	$0.32	67.61
Astronics	$862.13 million	3.47	$29.36 million	$0.98	70.91

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

Summary

Astronics beats Héroux-Devtek on 12 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Héroux-Devtek

Héroux-Devtek Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, and repair and overhaul of aircraft landing gears, hydraulic and electromechanical flight control actuators, custom ball screws, and fracture-critical components. The company serves civil and defence sectors of the aerospace market. It operates in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Rest of Europe, Spain, and internationally. The company was formerly known as Heroux Inc. and changed its name to Héroux-Devtek Inc. in 2000. Héroux-Devtek Inc. was incorporated in 1942 and is headquartered in Longueuil, Canada.

About Astronics

Astronics Corporation, through its subsidiaries, designs and manufactures products for the aerospace, defense, and electronics industries in the United States, rest of North America, Asia, Europe, South America, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace and Test Systems. The Aerospace segment offers lighting and safety systems, electrical power generation systems, distribution and seat motions systems, aircraft structures, avionics products, system certification, and other products. This segment serves airframe manufacturers (OEM) that build aircraft for the commercial, military, and general aviation markets; suppliers to OEMs; and aircraft operators, such as airlines; suppliers to the aircraft operators; and branches of the U.S. Department of Defense. The Test Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, and maintains automated test systems that support the aerospace and defense, and mass transit industries, as well as training and simulation devices for commercial and military applications. It serves OEMs and prime government contractors for electronics and military products. Astronics Corporation was incorporated in 1968 and is headquartered in East Aurora, New York.