Acorn Energy (NASDAQ:ACFN – Get Free Report) and 908 Devices (NASDAQ:MASS – Get Free Report) are both small-cap technology companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, risk and analyst recommendations.
Profitability
This table compares Acorn Energy and 908 Devices’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Acorn Energy | 16.12% | 10.06% | 6.32% |
| 908 Devices | -56.96% | -12.54% | -8.87% |
Risk and Volatility
Acorn Energy has a beta of 0.41, meaning that its stock price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, 908 Devices has a beta of 0.66, meaning that its stock price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Acorn Energy and 908 Devices, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Acorn Energy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| 908 Devices | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2.50 |
908 Devices has a consensus target price of $12.83, indicating a potential upside of 15.93%. Given 908 Devices’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe 908 Devices is more favorable than Acorn Energy.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
88.1% of 908 Devices shares are held by institutional investors. 35.6% of Acorn Energy shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 28.2% of 908 Devices shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Acorn Energy and 908 Devices”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Acorn Energy | $11.48 million | 3.52 | $2.51 million | $0.61 | 26.39 |
| 908 Devices | $56.20 million | 8.14 | $19.49 million | ($0.95) | -11.65 |
908 Devices has higher revenue and earnings than Acorn Energy. 908 Devices is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Acorn Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
908 Devices beats Acorn Energy on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Acorn Energy
Acorn Energy, Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops and markets wireless remote monitoring and control systems for various markets in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Power Generation (PG) Monitoring and Cathodic Protection (CP) Monitoring. The PG segment provides wireless remote monitoring and control systems, and services for critical assets, which include stand-by power generators, compressors, pumps, pumpjacks, light towers, turbines, and other industrial equipment; and Internet of Things applications. The CP segment offers remote monitoring of cathodic protection systems on gas pipelines for gas utilities and pipeline companies. The company was incorporated in 1986 and is based in Wilmington, Delaware.
About 908 Devices
908 Devices Inc., a commercial-stage technology company, provides various purpose-built handheld and desktop mass spectrometry devices to interrogate unknown and invisible materials in life sciences research, bioprocessing, pharma/biopharma, forensics, and adjacent markets. The company's products include MX908, a handheld, battery-powered, and Mass Spec device that is designed for rapid analysis of solid, liquid, vapor, and aerosol materials of unknown identity; Rebel, a small desktop analyzer that provides real-time information on the extracellular environment in bioprocesses; and Maverick, an optical in-line analyzer that offers real-time monitoring and control of multiple bioprocess parameters, including glucose, lactate, and total biomass in mammalian cell cultures, as well as provides process fingerprint data to support large-scale efforts in predictive bioprocess modeling. Its products also comprise Maven and Trace C2, an online device for bioprocess monitoring and control; and ZipChip solution, a plug-and-play, high-resolution separation platform that optimizes Mass Spec sample analysis. The company operates in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and rest of the Americas. 908 Devices Inc. was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
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