Hoku (OTCMKTS:HOKUQ – Get Free Report) and ESS Tech (NYSE:GWH – Get Free Report) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings and profitability.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Hoku and ESS Tech, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
Hoku | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
ESS Tech | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2.83 |
ESS Tech has a consensus price target of $2.01, suggesting a potential upside of 160.82%. Given ESS Tech’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe ESS Tech is more favorable than Hoku.
Earnings & Valuation
Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
Hoku | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
ESS Tech | $7.54 million | 17.86 | -$77.58 million | ($0.45) | -1.71 |
Hoku has higher earnings, but lower revenue than ESS Tech.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
46.8% of ESS Tech shares are held by institutional investors. 2.2% of Hoku shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of ESS Tech shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Hoku and ESS Tech’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
Hoku | N/A | N/A | N/A |
ESS Tech | -746.89% | -73.08% | -53.49% |
Summary
ESS Tech beats Hoku on 5 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Hoku
Hoku Corporation operates as a solar energy products and services company primarily in the United States. It focuses on manufacturing polysilicon, a primary material used in the manufacture of photovoltaic (PV) modules; and designing, engineering, and installing turnkey PV systems and related services in Hawaii using solar modules purchased from third-party suppliers. The company was formerly known as Hoku Scientific, Inc. and changed its name to Hoku Corporation in March 2010. Hoku Corporation was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. On July 2, 2013, Hoku Corporation along with its affiliates filed a voluntary petition for liquidation under Chapter 7 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Idaho.
About ESS Tech
ESS Tech, Inc., an energy storage company, designs and produces iron flow batteries for commercial and utility-scale energy storage applications worldwide. It offers energy storage products, which include Energy Warehouse, a behind-the-meter solution; and Energy Center, a front-of-the-meter solution. The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon.
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