American Battery Technology (NASDAQ:ABAT) and MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Critical Comparison

American Battery Technology (NASDAQ:ABAT) and MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and profitability.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares American Battery Technology and MKS”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
American Battery Technology	$4.29 million	70.68	-$46.76 million	($0.92)	-3.59
MKS	$3.59 billion	2.41	$190.00 million	$3.94	32.64

MKS has higher revenue and earnings than American Battery Technology. American Battery Technology is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than MKS, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for American Battery Technology and MKS, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
American Battery Technology	0	0	0	0	0.00
MKS	1	2	8	0	2.64

MKS has a consensus target price of $119.80, suggesting a potential downside of 6.86%. Given MKS’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe MKS is more favorable than American Battery Technology.

Profitability

This table compares American Battery Technology and MKS’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
American Battery Technology	-1,090.07%	-67.35%	-55.49%
MKS	7.11%	20.65%	5.68%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

9.9% of American Battery Technology shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.8% of MKS shares are held by institutional investors. 5.2% of American Battery Technology shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of MKS shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

American Battery Technology has a beta of -2.2, suggesting that its share price is 320% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MKS has a beta of 1.94, suggesting that its share price is 94% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

MKS beats American Battery Technology on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About American Battery Technology

American Battery Technology Company operates as a battery materials company. The company explores for resources of battery metals, such as such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese; and develops and commercializes technologies for the extraction of battery metals, as well as commercializes integrated process for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries. The company was formerly known as American Battery Metals Corporation. American Battery Technology Company was incorporated in 2011 and is headquartered in Reno, Nevada.

About MKS

MKS Instruments, Inc. provides foundational technology solutions to semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial applications in the United States, Germany, China, South Korea, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division (VSD), Photonics Solutions Division (PSD), and Material Solutions Division (MSD) segments. The VSD segment provides foundational technology solutions, including pressure measurement and control, flow measurement and control, gas and vapor delivery, gas composition analysis, electronic control technology, reactive gas generation and delivery, power generation and delivery, and vacuum technology. The PSD segment offers range of solutions, which include lasers, beam measurement and profiling, precision motion control, vibration isolation systems, photonics instruments, temperature sensing, opto-mechanical components, optical elements, systems for flexible PCB laser processing, and laser-based systems, as well as high density interconnect PCB and package manufacturing. The MSD segment develops, process, and manufactures technologies comprising advanced surface modification, electroless and electrolytic plating, and surface finishing for chemistry, equipment, software, and services markets, as well as high-technology applications. In addition, the company sells its products and services through direct sales, network of independent distributors, and sales representatives, as well as websites, including product catalogs. The company was incorporated in 1961 and is headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts.