nLight (NASDAQ:LASR – Get Free Report) and Lattice Semiconductor (NASDAQ:LSCC – Get Free Report) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk and profitability.
Volatility & Risk
nLight has a beta of 2.33, suggesting that its stock price is 133% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lattice Semiconductor has a beta of 1.64, suggesting that its stock price is 64% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for nLight and Lattice Semiconductor, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| nLight | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2.80 |
| Lattice Semiconductor | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 2.93 |
Profitability
This table compares nLight and Lattice Semiconductor’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| nLight | -8.98% | -9.40% | -6.88% |
| Lattice Semiconductor | 0.59% | 5.60% | 4.69% |
Insider & Institutional Ownership
83.9% of nLight shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.1% of Lattice Semiconductor shares are held by institutional investors. 4.7% of nLight shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of Lattice Semiconductor shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares nLight and Lattice Semiconductor”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| nLight | $227.53 million | 15.11 | -$23.47 million | ($0.47) | -144.02 |
| Lattice Semiconductor | $523.26 million | 26.33 | $3.08 million | $0.02 | 5,036.00 |
Lattice Semiconductor has higher revenue and earnings than nLight. nLight is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Lattice Semiconductor, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Lattice Semiconductor beats nLight on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About nLight
nLIGHT, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and sells semiconductor and fiber lasers for industrial, microfabrication, and aerospace and defense applications. The company operates in two segments, Laser Products and Advanced Development. It offers semiconductor lasers with various ranges of power levels, wavelengths, and output fiber sizes; and programmable and serviceable fiber lasers for use in industrial and aerospace and defense applications. The company also provides laser sensors, including light detection and ranging technologies for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance applications; and fiber amplifiers, beam combination, and control systems for use in high-energy laser systems in directed energy applications. It sells its products through direct sales force in the United States, China, South Korea, and European countries, as well as through independent sales representatives and distributors in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. The company was formerly known as nLight Photonics Corporation and changed its name to nLIGHT, Inc. in January 2016. nLIGHT, Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Camas, Washington.
About Lattice Semiconductor
Lattice Semiconductor Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops and sells semiconductor products in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The company offers field programmable gate arrays that consist of four product families, including the Lattice Certus and ECP, Mach, iCE, and CrossLink. It also provides video connectivity application specific standard products. In addition, the company licenses its technology portfolio through standard IP and IP core licensing, patent monetization, and IP services. It sells its products directly to customers, and indirectly through a network of independent manufacturers' representatives and independent distributors. The company primarily serves original equipment manufacturers in the communications and computing, consumer, and industrial, and automotive markets. Lattice Semiconductor Corporation was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon.
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