Head to Head Comparison: Ascent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:ASTI) vs. Maxeon Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:MAXN)

Ascent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:ASTI) and Maxeon Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:MAXN) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, valuation, risk and institutional ownership.

Risk & Volatility

Ascent Solar Technologies has a beta of 1.45, indicating that its share price is 45% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Maxeon Solar Technologies has a beta of 1.26, indicating that its share price is 26% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

10.6% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 47.7% of Maxeon Solar Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. 10.2% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Maxeon Solar Technologies shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Ascent Solar Technologies and Maxeon Solar Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ascent Solar Technologies	-7,311.40%	-127.37%	-86.27%
Maxeon Solar Technologies	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Ascent Solar Technologies and Maxeon Solar Technologies”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ascent Solar Technologies	$80,000.00	481.28	-$7.83 million	($2.46)	-1.65
Maxeon Solar Technologies	$176.41 million	0.07	-$614.30 million	($163.07)	0.00

Ascent Solar Technologies has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Maxeon Solar Technologies. Ascent Solar Technologies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Maxeon Solar Technologies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Ascent Solar Technologies and Maxeon Solar Technologies, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ascent Solar Technologies	1	1	1	0	2.00
Maxeon Solar Technologies	1	0	0	0	1.00

Ascent Solar Technologies presently has a consensus target price of $20.00, suggesting a potential upside of 391.40%. Given Ascent Solar Technologies’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Ascent Solar Technologies is more favorable than Maxeon Solar Technologies.

Summary

Ascent Solar Technologies beats Maxeon Solar Technologies on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ascent Solar Technologies

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a solar technology company, engages in the manufacture and sale of photovoltaic solar modules in the United States. The company markets and sells its products through OEMs, system integrators, distributors, retailers, and value-added resellers. It serves agrivoltaics, aerospace, satellites, near earth orbiting vehicles, and fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles. Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Thornton, Colorado.

About Maxeon Solar Technologies

Maxeon Solar Technologies, Ltd. designs, manufactures, markets, and sells solar panels and related solar system components worldwide. The company provides interdigitated back contact and shingled solar cells and panels under the SunPower brand. It offers its products to dealers, project developers, system integrators, distributors, resellers, and residential and small-scale commercial customers. The company was incorporated in 2019 and is headquartered in Singapore.