Comparing Palfinger (OTCMKTS:PLFRY) and Proterra (NASDAQ:PTRA)

Proterra (NASDAQ:PTRA) and Palfinger (OTCMKTS:PLFRY) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and valuation.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Proterra and Palfinger, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Proterra	0	1	1	0	2.50
Palfinger	0	0	0	0	N/A

Proterra presently has a consensus target price of $4.10, suggesting a potential upside of 6,019.40%. Given Proterra’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Proterra is more favorable than Palfinger.

Profitability

This table compares Proterra and Palfinger’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Proterra	-123.30%	-65.70%	-31.92%
Palfinger	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Proterra and Palfinger’s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Proterra	$309.36 million	0.05	-$237.95 million	($2.17)	-0.03
Palfinger	N/A	N/A	N/A	$1.17	24.71

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

Insider & Institutional Ownership

58.0% of Proterra shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.2% of Palfinger shares are held by institutional investors. 3.8% of Proterra shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

About Proterra

Proterra Inc. provides commercial vehicles in the United States, the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and Türkiye. The company's Proterra Powered & Energy business unit offers battery systems and electrification solutions for commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers serving delivery trucks, school buses, coach buses, construction and mining equipment, and other applications; and turnkey fleet-scale, high-power charging solutions and software services, ranging from fleet and energy management software-as-a-service to fleet planning, hardware, infrastructure, installation, utility engagement, and charging optimization. Its Proterra Transit business unit designs, develops, manufactures, and sells electric transit buses as an OEM for North American public transit agencies, airports, universities, and other commercial transit fleets. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Burlingame, California. On August 07, 2023, Proterra Inc., along with its affiliate, filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

About Palfinger

Palfinger AG produces and sells crane and lifting solutions worldwide. It offers loader cranes, timber and recycling cranes, knuckle boom cranes, telescopic cranes, stiff boom cranes, winches and offshore equipment, offshore cranes, davit systems, boats, wind cranes, hooklifts, access platforms, tail lifts, passenger lifts, mobile cranes, truck mounted forklifts, railway systems, rope access, bridge inspection units, skiploaders, and lifesaving equipment. The company also provides contract manufacturing services. It serves construction and infrastructure, transport and logistics, railways, waste management and recycling, forestry, state institutions, offshore, wind, cruise, navy and coast guard, aquaculture and fisheries, and trade and transport industries. The company provides its products and services through a network of approximately 5,000 service centers in 130 countries; and 200 independent general importers. Palfinger AG was founded in 1932 and is headquartered in Bergheim, Austria. Palfinger AG is a subsidiary of The Palfinger Family.