Star Equity (NASDAQ:STRR – Get Free Report) and Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL – Get Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations and valuation.
Profitability
This table compares Star Equity and Planet Labs PBC’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Star Equity | -4.35% | -4.21% | -2.39% |
| Planet Labs PBC | -95.13% | -93.11% | -29.17% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Star Equity and Planet Labs PBC, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Star Equity | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2.50 |
| Planet Labs PBC | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2.46 |
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Star Equity and Planet Labs PBC”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Star Equity | $209.75 million | 0.18 | -$5.92 million | ($3.06) | -3.27 |
| Planet Labs PBC | $378.28 million | 15.72 | -$246.86 million | ($1.10) | -14.86 |
Star Equity has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Planet Labs PBC. Planet Labs PBC is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Star Equity, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
3.8% of Star Equity shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 41.7% of Planet Labs PBC shares are owned by institutional investors. 31.6% of Star Equity shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 16.4% of Planet Labs PBC shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Risk and Volatility
Star Equity has a beta of 0.51, suggesting that its share price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Planet Labs PBC has a beta of 2.1, suggesting that its share price is 110% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Star Equity beats Planet Labs PBC on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Star Equity
Star Equity Holdings, Inc. engages in the construction business in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Construction, and Investments. It manufactures modular housing units, structural wall panels, permanent wood foundation systems, and other engineered wood products; supplies general contractors with building materials; holds real estate assets; and manages investments. The company was formerly known as Digirad Corporation and changed its name to Star Equity Holdings, Inc. in December 2020. Star Equity Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.
About Planet Labs PBC
Planet Labs PBC engages in the design, construction, and launch constellations of satellites with the intent of providing high cadence geospatial data delivered to customers through an online platform worldwide. The company’s platform offers planet monitoring, basemap, tasking, apps, and application programming interfaces, as well as analytics and planetary variables. It serves agriculture, mapping, energy, forestry, finance and insurance companies, and government agencies. The company was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
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