Head to Head Contrast: Smart Powerr (NASDAQ:CREG) versus Quest Resource (NASDAQ:QRHC)

Quest Resource (NASDAQ:QRHC) and Smart Powerr (NASDAQ:CREG) are both small-cap business services companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, profitability and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Quest Resource and Smart Powerr’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Quest Resource	-6.15%	-13.96%	-3.86%
Smart Powerr	N/A	-2.68%	-2.35%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

48.2% of Quest Resource shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.2% of Smart Powerr shares are owned by institutional investors. 22.9% of Quest Resource shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 15.4% of Smart Powerr shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Quest Resource and Smart Powerr”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Quest Resource	$250.22 million	0.09	-$15.38 million	($0.73)	-1.55
Smart Powerr	N/A	N/A	-$1.56 million	($1.73)	-0.74

Smart Powerr has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Quest Resource. Quest Resource is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Smart Powerr, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility and Risk

Quest Resource has a beta of 0.17, meaning that its share price is 83% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Smart Powerr has a beta of 0.33, meaning that its share price is 67% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for Quest Resource and Smart Powerr, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Quest Resource	1	2	0	0	1.67
Smart Powerr	1	0	0	0	1.00

Quest Resource currently has a consensus price target of $2.25, indicating a potential upside of 99.12%. Given Quest Resource’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Quest Resource is more favorable than Smart Powerr.

About Quest Resource

Quest Resource Holding Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides solutions for the reuse, recycling, and disposal of various waste streams and recyclables in the United States. The company provides disposal and recycling services for motor oil and automotive lubricants, oil filters, scrap tires, oily water, goods destruction, food waste, meat renderings, cooking oil and grease trap waste, plastics, cardboard, metal, glass, mixed paper, construction debris, as well as a large variety of regulated and non-regulated solid, liquid, and gas wastes. It offers antifreeze and windshield washer fluid, dumpster and compacting equipment, and other minor ancillary services. In addition, the company offers landfill diversion services. Its services focus on the waste streams and recyclables from big box, grocers, and other retailers; automotive maintenance, quick lube, dealerships, and collision repair; transportation, logistics, and internal fleet operators; manufacturing plants; multi-family and commercial properties; restaurant chains and food operations; and construction and demolition projects. The company markets its services to automotive, manufacturing, hospitality and retail, construction and demolition, and commercial and multi-family property management industries through direct sales force and strategic partnerships. The company was formerly known as Infinity Resources Holdings Corp. and changed its name to Quest Resource Holding Corporation in October 2013. Quest Resource Holding Corporation is headquartered in The Colony, Texas.

About Smart Powerr

Smart Powerr Corp. engages in the waste energy recycling business in China. The company provides energy saving and recovery facilities for various energy intensive industries; waste energy recycling systems for use in nonferrous metal plants; and clean-technology and energy-efficient solutions to reduce air pollution and energy shortage problems. It also designs, finances, constructs, and installs the waste energy recycling project to mid to large-size enterprises involved in high energy-consuming businesses; and provides project investment, investment management, economic information consulting, technical, financial leasing, and financial leasing transactions and consulting services; purchases, repairs, and disposes financial leasing assets; sells and leases energy saving systems and equipment. In addition, the company offers waste gas-to-energy solutions comprising the waste gas power generation system that utilizes flammable waste gas to generate electricity; and flammable waste gases emitted from industrial production processes, such as blast furnace gas, and coke furnace gas, oil or gas to power gas-fired generators, as well as uses the waste heat generated in industrial production to make steam to generate electricity through a steam turbine. Further, it markets its projects to the industrial manufacturers to utilize energy recovery projects in their manufacturing processes, including steel, cement, nonferrous metal, coal, and petrochemical industries. The company was formerly known as China Recycling Energy Corporation and changed its name to Smart Powerr Corp. in March 2022. Smart Powerr Corp. was incorporated in 1980 and is headquartered in Xi'an, China.