Ameresco (NYSE:AMRC – Get Free Report) and Orion Group (NYSE:ORN – Get Free Report) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk.
Profitability
This table compares Ameresco and Orion Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Ameresco | 1.40% | 2.82% | 0.72% |
| Orion Group | 0.40% | 3.07% | 1.10% |
Insider & Institutional Ownership
99.2% of Ameresco shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 70.3% of Orion Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 45.1% of Ameresco shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 5.7% of Orion Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Earnings and Valuation
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Ameresco | $1.93 billion | 0.59 | $44.28 million | $0.52 | 41.53 |
| Orion Group | $852.26 million | 0.44 | $2.49 million | $0.09 | 103.49 |
Ameresco has higher revenue and earnings than Orion Group. Ameresco is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Orion Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings for Ameresco and Orion Group, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Ameresco | 1 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2.50 |
| Orion Group | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2.43 |
Ameresco presently has a consensus price target of $41.89, suggesting a potential upside of 93.98%. Orion Group has a consensus price target of $16.00, suggesting a potential upside of 71.78%. Given Ameresco’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Ameresco is more favorable than Orion Group.
Risk and Volatility
Ameresco has a beta of 2.62, meaning that its share price is 162% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Orion Group has a beta of 1.43, meaning that its share price is 43% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Ameresco beats Orion Group on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Ameresco
Ameresco, Inc., a clean technology integrator, provides a portfolio of energy efficiency and renewable energy supply solutions in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. It operates through U.S. Regions, U.S. Federal, Canada, Europe, Alternative Fuels, and All Other segments. The company offers energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, energy security and resilience, asset sustainability, and renewable energy solutions for businesses and organizations. It designs, develops, engineers, and installs projects that reduce the energy, as well as operations and maintenance (O&M) costs of its customers' facilities; and projects primarily include various measures customized for the facility and designed to enhance the efficiency of building systems, such as heating, ventilation, cooling, and lighting systems. In addition, the company offers renewable energy solutions and services, such as the construction of small-scale plants that the company owns or develops for customers that produce electricity, gas, heat, or cooling from renewable sources of energy and O&M services; and electricity, processed renewable gas fuel, and heat or cooling produced from renewable sources of energy. Further, the company sells photovoltaic (PV) solar energy products and systems, as well as provides consulting, and enterprise energy management services; and operates wind farms. It serves the federal, state, local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, airports, public housing authorities and public universities, municipal utilities, and commercial and industrial customers. As of December 31, 2023, the company owned and operated 185 small-scale renewable energy plants and solar PV installations. Ameresco, Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts.
About Orion Group
Orion Group Holdings, Inc., a leading specialty construction company serving the infrastructure, industrial and building sectors, provides services both on and off the water in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada and the Caribbean Basin through its marine segment and its concrete segment. The Company’s marine segment provides construction and dredging services related to marine transportation facility construction, marine pipeline construction, marine environmental structures, dredging of waterways, channels and ports, environmental dredging, design, and specialty services. Its concrete segment provides turnkey concrete construction services including place and finish, site prep, layout, forming, and rebar placement for large commercial, structural and other associated business areas. The Company is headquartered in Houston, Texas with regional offices throughout its operating areas.
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