Knightscope (NASDAQ:KSCP – Get Free Report) and Syntec Optics (NASDAQ:OPTX – Get Free Report) are both small-cap business services 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.
Profitability
This table compares Knightscope and Syntec Optics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Knightscope | -282.34% | -213.31% | -110.93% |
| Syntec Optics | -5.46% | -13.81% | -5.99% |
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Knightscope and Syntec Optics”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Knightscope | $10.81 million | 4.62 | -$31.73 million | ($6.54) | -0.78 |
| Syntec Optics | $28.45 million | 3.32 | -$2.48 million | ($0.04) | -64.00 |
Syntec Optics has higher revenue and earnings than Knightscope. Syntec Optics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Knightscope, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
14.6% of Knightscope shares are held by institutional investors. 3.8% of Knightscope shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Syntec Optics 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 Knightscope and Syntec Optics, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Knightscope | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Syntec Optics | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
Knightscope presently has a consensus target price of $15.67, indicating a potential upside of 209.01%. Given Knightscope’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Knightscope is more favorable than Syntec Optics.
Volatility & Risk
Knightscope has a beta of 1.73, meaning that its share price is 73% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Syntec Optics has a beta of -1.17, meaning that its share price is 217% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Knightscope beats Syntec Optics on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Knightscope
Knightscope, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, markets, deploys, and supports autonomous security robots (ASR) in the United States. Its products include K3 and K5 ASRs designed to roam a geo-fenced area autonomously by utilizing numerous sensors and lasers, either on a random basis or based on a particular patrolling algorithm to navigate around people, vehicles, and objects in dynamic indoor or outdoor environments; K1, an ASR for used in indoors or outdoors and at ingress/egress points for both people and vehicles; and K7, a multi-terrain ASR. The company also develops and operates the Knightscope security operations center (KSOC), a browser-based interface, which allows real-time data access service to its clients for alert of an abnormal event; and Knightscope network operations center (KNOC), a custom set of tools that enables it to manage and monitor the network of ASRs with alerts related to critical indicators and statistics, including charging, software, navigation, and temperatures, as well as to execute over-the-air software upgrades, patches, and other related items. In addition, it offers Knightscope+, a virtual monitoring and response solution that provides an alternative for client sites. The company serves airports, commercial real estate, corporate campus, homeowner associations, hotels, universities, municipalities, rail, healthcare, public parks, schools, casinos, corporations, logistics, manufacturing, law enforcement, Parking areas, municipalities, universities, and property management companies, as well as the U.S. federal government. Knightscope, Inc. was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
About Syntec Optics
Syntec Optics Holdings, Inc. manufactures and supplies integrated optics for biomedical, defense and military, consumer, and other applications. It offers camera modules; tool design, design for manufacturing, optical and opto-mechanical design, and moldflow analysis; SPDT optics, such as freedom optics, microlens arrays, spheres and aspheres, diffractives, SPDT materials, and optical tooling; replicative molding, that includes polymer and glass molding, and molded production materials; thin film coating and coating curve materials; and precision machining and precision machining materials. The company also provides clean room assembly, such as opto mechanical, opto electronic, and integrated photonics; infrared optics, microlens arrays, software development, and optical metrology, and catalog optics services. In addition, it offers driverless cars, integrated photonics, robotics, sensors, VR and AR, machine vision, facial imagining, heads up display, finger print scanners, and laser scanners technology for consumers; night vision goggles, missile laser guides, biometrics, infrared and thermal imaging, ordnance optics, head mounted displays, 2D and 3D scanners, humvee lighting , laser targeting, protective domes and windows, and lidar technologies for defense and miliary; and medical diagnostic, microfluidics, surgical components and systems, and medical sensing technology for medical sectors. The company was founded in 1981 and is based in Rochester, New York.
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