Head-To-Head Comparison: Astrotech (NASDAQ:ASTC) and AerSale (NASDAQ:ASLE)

Astrotech (NASDAQ:ASTC) and AerSale (NASDAQ:ASLE) are both small-cap aerospace companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Astrotech and AerSale, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Astrotech	1	0	0	0	1.00
AerSale	0	5	0	0	2.00

AerSale has a consensus price target of $7.50, suggesting a potential downside of 5.66%. Given AerSale’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe AerSale is more favorable than Astrotech.

Profitability

This table compares Astrotech and AerSale’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Astrotech	-1,320.31%	-51.77%	-46.19%
AerSale	1.86%	2.19%	1.52%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Astrotech and AerSale”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Astrotech	$1.05 million	6.81	-$13.85 million	($8.39)	-0.48
AerSale	$350.58 million	1.07	$5.85 million	$0.14	56.79

AerSale has higher revenue and earnings than Astrotech. Astrotech is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AerSale, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

24.4% of Astrotech shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 69.5% of AerSale shares are owned by institutional investors. 14.9% of Astrotech shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 19.2% of AerSale shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

Astrotech has a beta of 0.26, meaning that its stock price is 74% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AerSale has a beta of 0.26, meaning that its stock price is 74% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

AerSale beats Astrotech on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Astrotech

Astrotech Corporation operates as a mass spectrometry company worldwide. It owns and licenses the intellectual property related to the Astrotech Mass Spectrometer Technology, a platform mass spectrometry technology. The company also develops TRACER 1000, a mass spectrometer-based explosive trace detector to replace the explosives trace detectors used at airports, cargo and other secured facilities, and borders. In addition, it develops AgLAB-1000, a mass spectrometer for use in the hemp and cannabis market. Further, the company develops BreathTest-1000, a breath analysis tool to screen for volatile organic compound metabolites found in a person's breath. The company was formerly known as SPACEHAB, Inc. and changed its name to Astrotech Corporation in 2009. The company was incorporated in 1984 and is based in Austin, Texas.

About AerSale

AerSale Corporation provides aftermarket commercial aircraft, engines, and its parts to passenger and cargo airlines, leasing companies, original equipment manufacturers, and government and defense contractors, as well as maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) service providers worldwide. It operates in two segments, Asset Management Solutions and Technical Operations (TechOps). The Asset Management Solutions segment engages in the sale and lease of aircraft, engines, and airframes, as well as disassembly of these assets for component parts. The TechOps segment provides internal and third-party aviation services, including internally developed engineered solutions, heavy aircraft maintenance and modification, and component MRO, as well as end-of-life disassembly services. This segment provides aircraft modifications, cargo and tanker conversions of aircraft, and aircraft storage; and MRO services for landing gear, thrust reversers, hydraulic systems, and other aircraft components. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida.