Head-To-Head Contrast: LightPath Technologies (NASDAQ:LPTH) and Ascent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:ASTI)

LightPath Technologies (NASDAQ:LPTH) and Ascent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:ASTI) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership and valuation.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares LightPath Technologies and Ascent Solar Technologies”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LightPath Technologies	$32.16 million	2.52	-$8.01 million	($0.24)	-8.42
Ascent Solar Technologies	$41,893.00	57.42	-$17.07 million	N/A	N/A

LightPath Technologies has higher revenue and earnings than Ascent Solar Technologies.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

56.3% of LightPath Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 10.6% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of LightPath Technologies shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for LightPath Technologies and Ascent Solar Technologies, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LightPath Technologies	0	0	3	0	3.00
Ascent Solar Technologies	0	0	0	0	0.00

LightPath Technologies presently has a consensus target price of $4.67, indicating a potential upside of 131.02%. Given LightPath Technologies’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe LightPath Technologies is more favorable than Ascent Solar Technologies.

Profitability

This table compares LightPath Technologies and Ascent Solar Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LightPath Technologies	-28.57%	-31.13%	-19.13%
Ascent Solar Technologies	-28,235.93%	-1,360.73%	-157.70%

Volatility & Risk

LightPath Technologies has a beta of 1.75, meaning that its share price is 75% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ascent Solar Technologies has a beta of 2.91, meaning that its share price is 191% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

LightPath Technologies beats Ascent Solar Technologies on 10 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LightPath Technologies

LightPath Technologies, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes optical components and assemblies. The company offers precision molded glass aspheric optics, molded and diamond-turned infrared aspheric lenses, and other optical components used to produce products that manipulate light; and infrared products, including catalog and custom infrared optics. Its products are used in defense products, medical devices, laser aided industrial tools, automotive safety applications, barcode scanners, optical data storage, hybrid fiber coax datacom, telecommunications, machine vision and sensors, and other sectors. The company sells its products directly to customers in Europe and Asia. LightPath Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

About Ascent Solar Technologies

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a solar technology company, engages in the manufacture and sale of photovoltaic solar modules in the United States. The company markets and sells its products through OEMs, system integrators, distributors, retailers, and value-added resellers. It serves agrivoltaics, aerospace, satellites, near earth orbiting vehicles, and fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles. Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Thornton, Colorado.