Head to Head Contrast: Electronic Control Security (OTCMKTS:EKCS) versus Iteris (NASDAQ:ITI)

Electronic Control Security (OTCMKTS:EKCS) and Iteris (NASDAQ:ITI) are both small-cap industrial products companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Electronic Control Security and Iteris’ top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Electronic Control Security	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Iteris	$156.05 million	1.16	-$14.85 million	N/A	N/A

Electronic Control Security has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Iteris.

Risk and Volatility

Electronic Control Security has a beta of 1.99, suggesting that its stock price is 99% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Iteris has a beta of 0.76, suggesting that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Electronic Control Security and Iteris, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Electronic Control Security	0	0	0	0	N/A
Iteris	0	0	2	0	3.00

Iteris has a consensus target price of $6.33, suggesting a potential upside of 50.08%. Given Iteris’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Iteris is more favorable than Electronic Control Security.

Profitability

This table compares Electronic Control Security and Iteris’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Electronic Control Security	N/A	N/A	N/A
Iteris	0.05%	0.13%	0.07%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

64.8% of Iteris shares are held by institutional investors. 50.5% of Electronic Control Security shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 7.4% of Iteris shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Iteris beats Electronic Control Security on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Electronic Control Security

Electronic Control Security Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and markets technology-based integrated security solutions in the United States and the Middle East. The company offers entry control system, which regulates the passage of authorized vehicles and personnel into restricted areas; fiber optic intelligence and detection system; infrared perimeter intrusion detection systems provides dependable security barriers of pulsed infrared beams to create multiple detection zones; flight line security for aircraft parking areas, igloos and flight lines at air bases; rapid deployable intrusion detection systems; day/night and thermal imaging cameras; intelligent video motion detection; ARTSYS 360 – advanced radar technologies radar systems designed for detection and tracking of vehicles, humans, and drones; water infrastructure sensing equipment; and interoperable device management systems. It also provides site survey and risk assessment; design and engineering; systems manufacturing and integration; factory acceptance testing; installation supervision; and project commissioning services. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Clifton, New Jersey.

About Iteris

Iteris, Inc. provides intelligent transportation systems technology solutions in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. The company offers smart mobility infrastructure solutions include traveler information systems, transportation performance measurement software, traffic analytics software, transportation operations software, transportation-related data sets, advanced sensing devices, managed services, traffic engineering services, and mobility consulting services. Its products include ClearGuide, ClearRoute, Commercial Vehicle Operations, BlueArgus, TrafficCarma, Vantage Apex, Vantage Fusion, Vantage Next, VantagePegasus, VantageRadius, Vantage Vector, Velocity, SmartCycle, SmartCycle Bike Indicator, SmartSpan, VersiCam, PedTrax, and P-Series products. The company sells original equipment manufacturer products for the traffic intersection markets, such as traffic signal controllers and traffic signal equipment cabinets. In addition, it offers traffic management centers design, staffing, and operations services; traffic engineering and mobility consulting services include planning, design, development, and implementation of software and hardware-based ITS systems that integrate sensors, video surveillance, computers, and advanced communications equipment; distributes real-time information about traffic conditions; and surface transportation infrastructure systems implementation, and operation and management. Further, the company provides travel demand forecasting and systems engineering, and identify mitigation measures to reduce traffic congestion; ClearMobility platform; and ClearMobility Cloud that enables mobility data management engine, application programming interface framework, and microservices ecosystem. It serves public transportation agencies, municipalities, commercial entities, government agencies, and other transportation infrastructure providers. Iteris, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.