Hoku (OTCMKTS:HOKUQ) and Energy Vault (NYSE:NRGV) Critical Survey

Hoku (OTCMKTS:HOKUQ) and Energy Vault (NYSE:NRGV) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Hoku and Energy Vault’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hoku	N/A	N/A	N/A
Energy Vault	-28.82%	-40.42%	-28.15%

Volatility & Risk

Hoku has a beta of -15, indicating that its stock price is 1,600% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Energy Vault has a beta of 0.56, indicating that its stock price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Hoku and Energy Vault, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hoku	0	0	0	0	N/A
Energy Vault	1	0	4	0	2.60

Energy Vault has a consensus target price of $4.38, suggesting a potential upside of 152.89%.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

40.0% of Energy Vault shares are held by institutional investors. 2.2% of Hoku shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 20.0% of Energy Vault shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Hoku and Energy Vault’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Hoku	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Energy Vault	$341.54 million	0.75	-$98.44 million	($0.68)	-2.54

Hoku has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Energy Vault.

Summary

Energy Vault beats Hoku on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Hoku

Hoku Corporation operates as a solar energy products and services company primarily in the United States. It focuses on manufacturing polysilicon, a primary material used in the manufacture of photovoltaic (PV) modules; and designing, engineering, and installing turnkey PV systems and related services in Hawaii using solar modules purchased from third-party suppliers. The company was formerly known as Hoku Scientific, Inc. and changed its name to Hoku Corporation in March 2010. Hoku Corporation was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. On July 2, 2013, Hoku Corporation along with its affiliates filed a voluntary petition for liquidation under Chapter 7 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Idaho.

About Energy Vault

Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. develops and sells energy storage solutions. The company offers battery energy storage systems for shorter-duration energy storage needs; gravity energy storage systems, including EVx solution; green hydrogen energy storage systems; hybrid energy storage systems; and energy management software platform that orchestrates the management of one or more diverse storage mediums. Its solutions allow utilities, independent power producers, and large energy users to manage their power portfolios and efficiently dispatch power. Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. is based in Westlake Village, California.