Contrasting CSLM Acquisition (NASDAQ:SPWR) and ChargePoint (NYSE:CHPT)

CSLM Acquisition (NASDAQ:SPWR) and ChargePoint (NYSE:CHPT) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends and institutional ownership.

Risk & Volatility

CSLM Acquisition has a beta of 0.76, suggesting that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ChargePoint has a beta of 1.61, suggesting that its stock price is 61% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares CSLM Acquisition and ChargePoint’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
CSLM Acquisition	-4.82%	N/A	-5.38%
ChargePoint	-40.59%	-3,366.29%	-15.95%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares CSLM Acquisition and ChargePoint”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
CSLM Acquisition	$300.00 million	0.11	-$45.35 million	($0.19)	-0.84
ChargePoint	$411.22 million	0.76	-$220.20 million	($7.18)	-1.62

CSLM Acquisition has higher earnings, but lower revenue than ChargePoint. ChargePoint is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CSLM Acquisition, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for CSLM Acquisition and ChargePoint, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
CSLM Acquisition	1	0	0	0	1.00
ChargePoint	3	7	0	0	1.70

ChargePoint has a consensus target price of $7.07, suggesting a potential downside of 39.37%. Given ChargePoint’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe ChargePoint is more favorable than CSLM Acquisition.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

47.4% of CSLM Acquisition shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 37.8% of ChargePoint shares are held by institutional investors. 24.5% of CSLM Acquisition shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.2% of ChargePoint shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

CSLM Acquisition beats ChargePoint on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About CSLM Acquisition

CSLM Acquisition Corp. was a special purpose acquisition company that merged with Complete Solaria in 2023. The company associated with the SPWR ticker is now known as SunPower Corporation; it adopted the SunPower name after acquiring certain assets and the brand from the former SunPower Corporation, which filed for bankruptcy in 2024. SunPower focuses on residential solar energy solutions in the United States. Its offerings include solar power systems, battery storage and related services, delivered through a network of solar dealers and installers.

About ChargePoint

ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. provides electric vehicle charging solutions for businesses, fleets, residential properties and drivers. Its offerings include charging stations, cloud-based software and services that help customers manage charging operations and provide drivers with access to charging locations. The company offers Level 2 AC and DC fast-charging products, along with tools for managing energy use, station access and payments. ChargePoint’s network connects drivers with charging stations through its app, while businesses and other site hosts can use its platform to manage their own charging locations.