Electrovaya (NASDAQ:ELVA) vs. Orion Energy Systems (NASDAQ:OESX) Critical Comparison

Orion Energy Systems (NASDAQ:OESX) and Electrovaya (NASDAQ:ELVA) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings and dividends.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Orion Energy Systems and Electrovaya”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Orion Energy Systems	$86.31 million	0.63	-$3.16 million	($0.08)	-165.50
Electrovaya	$63.83 million	4.14	$3.36 million	$0.11	48.00

Electrovaya has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Orion Energy Systems. Orion Energy Systems is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Electrovaya, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Orion Energy Systems and Electrovaya’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Orion Energy Systems	0.04%	11.66%	3.40%
Electrovaya	6.14%	7.96%	4.54%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

52.6% of Orion Energy Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 22.5% of Electrovaya shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.3% of Orion Energy Systems shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Orion Energy Systems and Electrovaya, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Orion Energy Systems	0	2	2	0	2.50
Electrovaya	0	2	3	1	2.83

Orion Energy Systems currently has a consensus price target of $36.50, indicating a potential upside of 175.68%. Electrovaya has a consensus price target of $17.50, indicating a potential upside of 231.44%. Given Electrovaya’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Electrovaya is more favorable than Orion Energy Systems.

Risk & Volatility

Orion Energy Systems has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Electrovaya has a beta of 1.73, meaning that its stock price is 73% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Electrovaya beats Orion Energy Systems on 10 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Orion Energy Systems

Orion Energy Systems, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, researches, designs, develops, manufactures, markets, sells, installs, and implements energy management systems for commercial office and retail, area lighting, industrial applications, and government in North America and Germany. It operates in three segments: Lighting, Maintenance, and Electric Vehicle (EV). The company offers light emitting diode (LED) lighting products; construction and engineering services for commercial lighting and energy management system; lighting and electrical system maintenance, repair, and replacement services; and EV charging station and installation solutions. It also provides LED high bay fixtures and LED troffer retrofits; smart lighting controls, a wireless Internet of Things enabled control solution that provides lighting control options and data intelligence capabilities for building managers; and various LED fixtures for lighting and energy management needs comprising fixtures for agribusinesses, parking lots, roadways, retail, mezzanine, outdoor applications, and private label resale. In addition, the company offers lighting-related energy management services, such as site assessment, site field verification, utility incentive and government subsidy management, engineering design, project management, facility design commissioning, and recycling. It serves customers directly and through independent sales agencies and distributors, national account end-users, federal and state government facilities, regional account end-users, electrical distributors, electrical contractors, and energy service companies. Orion Energy Systems, Inc. was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

About Electrovaya

Electrovaya Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of lithium-ion batteries, battery management systems, and battery-related products for energy storage, clean electric transportation, and other specialized applications in North America. It offers lithium-ion batteries and systems for materials handling electric vehicles, including forklifts and automated guided vehicles, as well as battery chargers to charge the batteries; electromotive power products for electric trucks, electric buses, and other transportation applications; industrial products for energy storage; and power solutions, such as competencies in building systems for third parties. The company was formerly known as Electrofuel Inc. and changed its name to Electrovaya Inc. in March 2002. Electrovaya Inc. was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.