One Stop Systems (NASDAQ:OSS) versus Trans-Lux (OTCMKTS:TNLX) Head-To-Head Survey

Trans-Lux (OTCMKTS:TNLX) and One Stop Systems (NASDAQ:OSS) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

11.9% of Trans-Lux shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.7% of One Stop Systems shares are held by institutional investors. 58.7% of Trans-Lux shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 10.8% of One Stop Systems shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Trans-Lux and One Stop Systems”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Trans-Lux	$15.55 million	N/A	-$4.07 million	($0.33)	-0.18
One Stop Systems	$54.69 million	3.22	-$13.63 million	($0.32)	-22.44

Trans-Lux has higher earnings, but lower revenue than One Stop Systems. One Stop Systems is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Trans-Lux, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Trans-Lux and One Stop Systems, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Trans-Lux	0	0	0	0	0.00
One Stop Systems	1	0	3	0	2.50

One Stop Systems has a consensus target price of $7.50, indicating a potential upside of 4.46%. Given One Stop Systems’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe One Stop Systems is more favorable than Trans-Lux.

Profitability

This table compares Trans-Lux and One Stop Systems’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Trans-Lux	N/A	N/A	N/A
One Stop Systems	-11.47%	-26.14%	-17.67%

Risk & Volatility

Trans-Lux has a beta of -1.13, meaning that its share price is 213% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, One Stop Systems has a beta of 0.98, meaning that its share price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

One Stop Systems beats Trans-Lux on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Trans-Lux

Trans-Lux Corporation engages in the design and manufacture of digital display solutions and fixed digit scoreboards. It operates in two segments, Digital Product Sales; and Digital Product Lease and Maintenance. The Digital Product Sales segment sells indoor and outdoor digital product signage products. The Digital Product Lease and Maintenance segment is involved in the lease and maintenance of indoor and outdoor digital product signage. The company offers LED display systems for use by sports arenas and stadiums; financial institutions, including brokerage firms, banks, energy companies, insurance companies, and mutual fund companies; educational institutions; outdoor advertising companies; corporate and government communication centers; retail outlets; casinos, racetracks and other gaming establishments; airports, train stations, bus terminals, and other transportation facilities; movie theatres; and health maintenance organizations, as well as in various other applications. It also provides TLVision, which consists of full-color video products for use in posting alphanumeric data and displaying of full HD video; and turnkey installation and support services. The company markets its products through direct sales representatives, and a network of independent dealers and distributors in the United States and Canada; and internal salespeople and independent distributors in the rest of North America, Europe, the Middle East, South America, Africa, the Far East, and Australia. Trans-Lux Corporation was incorporated in 1920 and is headquartered in New York, New York. Trans-Lux Corporation operates as a subsidiary of Unilumin North America Inc.

About One Stop Systems

One Stop Systems, Inc. engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of high-performance compute, high speed storage hardware and software, switch fabrics, and systems for edge deployments in the United States and internationally. The company's systems are built using the central processing unit, graphical processing unit, high-speed switch fabrics, and flash storage technologies. It provides custom servers, data acquisition platforms, compute accelerators, solid-state storage arrays, and system I/O expansion systems, as well as edge optimized industrial and panel PCs, tablets, and handheld compute devices. The company also offers ruggedized mobile tablets and handhelds that meet the specialized requirement for devices deployed at the edge in a diverse set of environmental conditions. It sells its products to multinational companies, governmental agencies, military contractors, military services, and technology providers through its website, web store, direct sales team, and original equipment manufacturer focused sales, as well as through a network of resellers and distributors. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Escondido, California.