Comparing ClearOne (NASDAQ:CLRO) & Crane NXT (NYSE:CXT)

ClearOne (NASDAQ:CLRO) and Crane NXT (NYSE:CXT) are both technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations and risk.

Risk & Volatility

ClearOne has a beta of 0.1, suggesting that its share price is 90% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Crane NXT has a beta of 1.08, suggesting that its share price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares ClearOne and Crane NXT”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ClearOne	$11.39 million	0.96	-$26.08 million	($1.15)	-3.55
Crane NXT	$1.66 billion	1.70	$145.10 million	$2.42	20.18

Crane NXT has higher revenue and earnings than ClearOne. ClearOne is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Crane NXT, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

9.6% of ClearOne shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.5% of Crane NXT shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of ClearOne shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Crane NXT shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for ClearOne and Crane NXT, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ClearOne	1	0	0	0	1.00
Crane NXT	0	2	5	1	2.88

Crane NXT has a consensus price target of $66.83, indicating a potential upside of 36.84%. Given Crane NXT’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Crane NXT is more favorable than ClearOne.

Profitability

This table compares ClearOne and Crane NXT’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ClearOne	N/A	-209.91%	-118.38%
Crane NXT	7.78%	19.87%	7.43%

Summary

Crane NXT beats ClearOne on 15 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ClearOne

ClearOne, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, and sells conferencing, collaboration, and network streaming solutions for voice and visual communications in the United States and internationally. The company offers a range of audio conferencing products, including professional audio conferencing and sound-reinforcement products for use in enterprise, healthcare, education and distance learning, government, legal, and finance organizations; mid-tier premium conferencing products for smaller rooms, and small and medium businesses, which interface with video and Web conferencing systems; USB-based personal and group speakerphones that could be used with PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other portable devices; and traditional tabletop conferencing phones used in conference rooms and offices. It provides professional microphones consisting of beamforming microphones, ceiling microphones, and wireless microphones. In addition, the company offers video products, such as video conferencing and collaboration solutions; professional-grade cameras; and AV networking, which deliver the IP A/V experience by streaming time sensitive high definition audio and video, and control over TCP/IP networks. It sells its commercial products to a network of independent professional audiovisual, information technology, and telecommunications distributors, as well as systems integrators, dealers, value-added resellers, and end-users. ClearOne, Inc. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

About Crane NXT

Crane NXT, Co. operates as an industrial technology company that provides technology solutions to secure, detect, and authenticate customers’ important assets. The company operates through Crane Payment Innovations and Crane Currency segments. The Crane Payment Innovations segment offers electronic equipment and associated software, as well as advanced automation solutions, processing systems, field service solutions, remote diagnostics, and productivity software solutions. The Crane Currency segment provides advanced security solutions based on proprietary technology for securing physical products, including banknotes, consumer goods, and industrial products. Crane NXT, Co. was incorporated in 2021 and is based in Waltham, Massachusetts.