Head to Head Analysis: Aqua Metals (NASDAQ:AQMS) and Concrete Pumping (NASDAQ:BBCP)

Concrete Pumping (NASDAQ:BBCP) and Aqua Metals (NASDAQ:AQMS) are both small-cap business services companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, risk and analyst recommendations.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

34.2% of Concrete Pumping shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 22.0% of Aqua Metals shares are owned by institutional investors. 28.2% of Concrete Pumping shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 8.3% of Aqua Metals shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Concrete Pumping and Aqua Metals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Concrete Pumping	1.62%	2.85%	0.84%
Aqua Metals	N/A	-274.21%	-159.86%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Concrete Pumping and Aqua Metals”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Concrete Pumping	$392.87 million	0.87	$6.37 million	$0.09	74.89
Aqua Metals	$30,000.00	473.82	-$24.55 million	($30.53)	-0.16

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

Volatility and Risk

Concrete Pumping has a beta of 1.08, meaning that its share price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Aqua Metals has a beta of -0.03, meaning that its share price is 103% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Concrete Pumping and Aqua Metals, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Concrete Pumping	0	3	1	0	2.25
Aqua Metals	1	0	1	0	2.00

Concrete Pumping presently has a consensus target price of $7.50, indicating a potential upside of 11.28%. Aqua Metals has a consensus target price of $30.00, indicating a potential upside of 528.93%. Given Aqua Metals’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Aqua Metals is more favorable than Concrete Pumping.

Summary

Concrete Pumping beats Aqua Metals on 11 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Concrete Pumping

Concrete Pumping Holdings, Inc. provides concrete pumping and waste management services in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company offers concrete pumping services to general contractors and concrete finishing companies in the commercial, infrastructure, and residential sectors under the Brundage-Bone and Capital Pumping brands; and industrial cleanup and containment services primarily to customers in the construction industry under the Eco-Pan brand. It leases and rents concrete pumping equipment, pans, and containers. As of October 31, 2023, the company owned a fleet of approximately 930 boom pumps, 90 placing booms, 20 telebelts, 300 stationary pumps, and 115 waste management trucks. Concrete Pumping Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Thornton, Colorado.

About Aqua Metals

Aqua Metals, Inc. engages in reinventing metals recycling activities with its patented AquaRefining technology. The company's technology produces metals and alloys that can be returned into the battery manufacturing supply chain markets, as well as sells metals for use in various advanced manufacturing industries. Its AquaRefining, a low-emissions and recycling technology that replaces polluting furnaces and hazardous chemicals with electricity-powered electroplating to recover valuable metals and materials from spent batteries. Aqua Metals, Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Reno, Nevada.