Head to Head Contrast: Bolt Projects (NASDAQ:BSLK) & National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE)

Bolt Projects (NASDAQ:BSLK) and National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Risk and Volatility

Bolt Projects has a beta of 0.18, suggesting that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, National Vision has a beta of 1.37, suggesting that its share price is 37% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Bolt Projects and National Vision’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bolt Projects	-774.20%	N/A	-249.44%
National Vision	-0.12%	3.58%	1.52%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Bolt Projects and National Vision, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bolt Projects	1	0	0	0	1.00
National Vision	1	4	6	1	2.58

National Vision has a consensus price target of $27.58, indicating a potential downside of 1.49%. Given National Vision’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe National Vision is more favorable than Bolt Projects.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

5.5% of Bolt Projects shares are held by institutional investors. 10.6% of Bolt Projects shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.7% of National Vision shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Bolt Projects and National Vision”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bolt Projects	$1.37 million	4.31	-$65.39 million	($11.70)	-0.12
National Vision	$1.82 billion	1.22	-$28.50 million	($0.03)	-933.33

National Vision has higher revenue and earnings than Bolt Projects. National Vision is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bolt Projects, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

National Vision beats Bolt Projects on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bolt Projects

Bolt Projects Holdings, Inc. operates as a material solutions company. The company offers B-SILK PROTEIN, a biodegradable ingredient for the beauty and personal care industry. Its products also include MYLO, a mycelium-based leather material; and MICROSILK, a silk fiber. The company is based in San Francisco, California.

About National Vision

National Vision Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as an optical retailer in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Owned & Host and Legacy. It offers eyeglasses and contact lenses, and optical accessory products; provides eye exams through its America’s Best, Eyeglass World, Vista Optical, Fred Meyer, and Vista Optical military, as well as Vision Center branded stores; and offers health maintenance organization and optometric services. National Vision Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia.