American Superconductor (NASDAQ:AMSC – Get Free Report) and Asia Pacific Wire & Cable (NASDAQ:APWC – Get Free Report) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends, valuation and earnings.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current recommendations for American Superconductor and Asia Pacific Wire & Cable, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| American Superconductor | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2.80 |
| Asia Pacific Wire & Cable | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
American Superconductor presently has a consensus price target of $53.50, indicating a potential upside of 102.99%. Given American Superconductor’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe American Superconductor is more favorable than Asia Pacific Wire & Cable.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
52.3% of American Superconductor shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 1.0% of Asia Pacific Wire & Cable shares are held by institutional investors. 3.6% of American Superconductor shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Asia Pacific Wire & Cable shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Risk & Volatility
American Superconductor has a beta of 3.32, meaning that its stock price is 232% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Asia Pacific Wire & Cable has a beta of 0.64, meaning that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares American Superconductor and Asia Pacific Wire & Cable’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| American Superconductor | 38.63% | 24.05% | 18.04% |
| Asia Pacific Wire & Cable | 1.28% | 2.16% | 1.35% |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares American Superconductor and Asia Pacific Wire & Cable”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| American Superconductor | $299.15 million | 4.27 | $133.81 million | $2.98 | 8.84 |
| Asia Pacific Wire & Cable | $529.68 million | 0.05 | $3.67 million | $0.28 | 4.29 |
American Superconductor has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Asia Pacific Wire & Cable. Asia Pacific Wire & Cable is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American Superconductor, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
American Superconductor beats Asia Pacific Wire & Cable on 14 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About American Superconductor
American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) develops products and services for the electric power and wind energy industries. Its Grid business provides power electronics and related systems designed to improve transmission capacity, voltage regulation and grid reliability. Products include D-VAR systems, which help manage voltage and stabilize electrical networks. Through its Wind business, AMSC supplies wind turbine designs, control systems and engineering services to wind turbine manufacturers and developers.
About Asia Pacific Wire & Cable
Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation Limited (NASDAQ: APWC) is a holding company that operates through subsidiaries engaged in the manufacture, distribution and sale of wire and cable products. Its offerings primarily serve telecommunications, electrical power, construction and industrial applications. The company’s product portfolio includes copper-based power cables, building wires, telecommunications cables, enameled wires, bare copper conductors and other specialty wire and cable products.
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