Head-To-Head Comparison: Ener-Core (OTCMKTS:ENCR) versus Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU)

Ener-Core (OTCMKTS:ENCR) and Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) are both energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends and earnings.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Ener-Core and Central Puerto, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ener-Core	0	0	0	0	0.00
Central Puerto	0	1	0	0	2.00

Central Puerto has a consensus target price of $12.00, indicating a potential upside of 9.11%. Given Central Puerto’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Central Puerto is more favorable than Ener-Core.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

3.0% of Central Puerto shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.8% of Ener-Core shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Central Puerto shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Ener-Core and Central Puerto’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ener-Core	N/A	N/A	N/A
Central Puerto	21.30%	11.81%	8.32%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Ener-Core and Central Puerto”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ener-Core	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Central Puerto	$810.70 million	2.05	$54.56 million	$0.98	11.22

Central Puerto has higher revenue and earnings than Ener-Core.

Summary

Central Puerto beats Ener-Core on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ener-Core

Ener-Core, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, license, and market its products that are based on Power Oxidizer technologies. The company's Power Oxidizer technology generates industrial levels of usable heat in a pressure vessel using various organic gases as fuel for an oxidation reaction. Its products include Ener-Core PowerStation EC250 and Ener-Core Powerstation KG2-3GEF/PO, which have applications in landfills, distilleries, and various industrial processes. The company sells its products directly, as well as through distributors in the United States and the Netherlands. Ener-Core, Inc. was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

About Central Puerto

Central Puerto S.A. engages in the electric power generation in Argentina. It operates through three segments: Electric Power Generation from Conventional Sources, Electric Power Generation from Renewable Sources, and Natural Gas Transport and Distribution. The company generates energy through thermal, hydroelectric, and wind farms. It also engages in the natural gas transport and distribution business. Central Puerto S.A. was founded in 1898 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.