Contrasting SMC (OTCMKTS:SMCAY) & Daktronics (NASDAQ:DAKT)

Daktronics (NASDAQ:DAKT) and SMC (OTCMKTS:SMCAY) are both technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Daktronics and SMC’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Daktronics	5.66%	18.05%	9.68%
SMC	21.94%	9.40%	8.52%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Daktronics and SMC”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Daktronics	$838.71 million	1.12	$45.38 million	$0.91	21.41
SMC	$5.60 billion	4.90	$1.10 billion	$1.03	20.84

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

Insider & Institutional Ownership

61.7% of Daktronics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 1.0% of SMC shares are held by institutional investors. 4.6% of Daktronics shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Daktronics has a beta of 1.68, suggesting that its share price is 68% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SMC has a beta of 1.09, suggesting that its share price is 9% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Daktronics and SMC, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Daktronics	0	2	2	0	2.50
SMC	0	1	1	1	3.00

Daktronics currently has a consensus target price of $31.00, indicating a potential upside of 59.14%. Given Daktronics’ higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Daktronics is more favorable than SMC.

Summary

SMC beats Daktronics on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Daktronics

Daktronics, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells electronic scoreboards, programmable display systems and large screen video displays for sporting, commercial, and transportation applications in the United States and internationally. It operates through Commercial, Live Events, High School Park and Recreation, Transportation, and International segments. The company also offers video display and walls; scoreboards and timing systems; LED message displays and sings; intelligent transportation systems dynamic message signs; mass transit display; sound systems; and digital billboards and street furniture, and digit and price displays. In addition, it provides indoor dynamic messaging systems and liquid crystal display signs; and software and controllers, which includes Venus, a control suite software to control the creation of messages and graphic sequences for uploading to displays. The company sells its products through direct sales and resellers. Daktronics, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Brookings, South Dakota.

About SMC

SMC Corporation manufactures, processes, and sells automatic control equipment, sintered filters, and various types of filtration equipment worldwide. The company offers air management system, directional control valves, air cylinders, rotatory actuators/air grippers, electric actuators/cylinders, fitting and tubing, and modular F.R.L./pressure control equipment, as well as vacuum, air preparation, and lubrication equipment. It also provides flow control equipment, speed controllers, silencers/exhaust/blow guns/pressure gauges, switches/sensors/controllers, static neutralization equipment, and industrial device communication equipment/wireless system. In addition, the company offers process valves, chemical liquid valves/fittings and needle valves/tubing, process pumps, temperature control equipment, and process gas equipment, as well as high vacuum equipment, industrial filters/sintered metal elements, and pneumatic instrumentation and hydraulic equipment. The company was formerly known as Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Co., Ltd. and changed its name to SMC Corporation in April 1986. SMC Corporation was incorporated in 1959 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.