Ascent Industries (NASDAQ:ACNT – Get Free Report) and Broadwind Energy (NASDAQ:BWEN – Get Free Report) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, institutional ownership and profitability.
Profitability
This table compares Ascent Industries and Broadwind Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Ascent Industries | 1.54% | -4.37% | -3.31% |
| Broadwind Energy | 3.30% | -2.05% | -1.09% |
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Ascent Industries and Broadwind Energy”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Ascent Industries | $74.94 million | 1.71 | $870,000.00 | $0.13 | 108.92 |
| Broadwind Energy | $158.05 million | 0.56 | $5.24 million | $0.22 | 17.09 |
Broadwind Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Ascent Industries. Broadwind Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ascent Industries, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
26.1% of Ascent Industries shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 33.3% of Broadwind Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. 9.3% of Ascent Industries shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.1% of Broadwind Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Volatility & Risk
Ascent Industries has a beta of 0.57, suggesting that its stock price is 43% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Broadwind Energy has a beta of 1.73, suggesting that its stock price is 73% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Ascent Industries and Broadwind Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Ascent Industries | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
| Broadwind Energy | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2.33 |
Broadwind Energy has a consensus target price of $6.00, indicating a potential upside of 59.57%. Given Broadwind Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Broadwind Energy is more favorable than Ascent Industries.
Summary
Broadwind Energy beats Ascent Industries on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Ascent Industries
Ascent Industries Co. an industrials company, produces and distributes stainless steel pipe and tube and specialty chemicals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Tubular Products and Specialty Chemicals. It manufactures welded pipes and tubes, primarily from stainless steel, duplex, and nickel alloys; and ornamental stainless steel tubes for automotive, commercial transportation, marine, food services, construction, furniture, healthcare, and other industries. The company also produces defoamers, surfactants, and lubricating agents for end users, including companies that supply agrochemical paper, metal working, coatings, water treatment, paint, mining, oil and gas, and janitorial and other applications. In addition, it provides contract manufacturing services, as well as operates as a multi-purpose plant to process various difficult to handle materials, including flammable solvents, viscous liquids, and granular solids. The company was formerly known as Synalloy Corporation and changed its name to Ascent Industries Co. in August 2022. Ascent Industries Co. was founded in 1945 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.
About Broadwind Energy
Broadwind, Inc. manufactures and sells structures, equipment, and components for clean tech and other specialized applications primarily in the United States. It operates through three segments: Heavy Fabrications, Gearing, and Industrial Solutions. The Heavy Fabrications segment provides fabrications to various industrial markets. It offers steel towers and adapters primarily to wind turbine manufacturers. Its Gearing segment provides gearing, gearboxes, and precision machined components to a range of customers in diverse markets, including surface and underground mining, wind energy, steel, material handling, infrastructure, onshore and offshore oil and gas fracking and drilling, marine, and other industrial markets. This segment also offers heat treat services for aftermarket and original equipment manufacturer applications. The Industrial Solutions segment provides supply chain solutions for offering instrumentation and controls, valve assemblies, sensor devices, fuel system components, electrical junction boxes and wiring, energy storage services, and electromechanical devices; light fabrication, inventory management, and kitting and assembly services; packaging solutions; and supply chain solutions, light fabrication, inventory management, and kitting and assembly services for combined cycle natural gas turbine market. It sells its products to the energy, mining, and infrastructure sectors through its direct sales force and independent sales agents. The company was formerly known as Broadwind Energy, Inc. and changed its name to Broadwind, Inc. in May 2020. Broadwind, Inc. is headquartered in Cicero, Illinois.
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