Analyzing Netlist (OTCMKTS:NLST) and Ascent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:ASTI)

Netlist (OTCMKTS:NLST) and Ascent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:ASTI) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, earnings and risk.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Netlist and Ascent Solar Technologies”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Netlist	$69.21 million	3.54	-$60.40 million	($0.22)	-4.09
Ascent Solar Technologies	$44,673.00	92.84	-$17.07 million	N/A	N/A

Ascent Solar Technologies has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Netlist.

Volatility & Risk

Netlist has a beta of 1.04, indicating that its share price is 4% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ascent Solar Technologies has a beta of 2.46, indicating that its share price is 146% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Netlist and Ascent Solar Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Netlist	-37.19%	-852.20%	-94.11%
Ascent Solar Technologies	-28,235.93%	-1,360.73%	-157.70%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Netlist and Ascent Solar Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Netlist	0	0	1	0	3.00
Ascent Solar Technologies	0	0	0	0	0.00

Netlist currently has a consensus target price of $2.00, suggesting a potential upside of 122.25%. Given Netlist’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Netlist is more favorable than Ascent Solar Technologies.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.0% of Netlist shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 10.6% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.7% of Netlist shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Netlist beats Ascent Solar Technologies on 8 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Netlist

Netlist, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets memory subsystems for the server, high-performance computing, and communications markets in the United States and internationally. The company portfolio of proprietary technologies and design techniques, includes efficient planar design, alternative packaging techniques, and custom semiconductor logic, to deliver memory subsystems; and sells specialty memory modules and flash-based products for use in data center and industrial applications. It resells component products, including solid state drive (SSD), NAND flash, and dual inline memory module (DIMM) to storage customers, appliance customers, system builders, and cloud and datacenter customers; and sells component inventory to distributors and other users of memory integrated circuits. The company markets and sells its products through a direct sales force and a network of independent sales representatives. Netlist, Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

About Ascent Solar Technologies

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a solar technology company, engages in the manufacture and sale of photovoltaic solar modules in the United States. The company markets and sells its products through OEMs, system integrators, distributors, retailers, and value-added resellers. It serves agrivoltaics, aerospace, satellites, near earth orbiting vehicles, and fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles. Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Thornton, Colorado.