Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS – Get Free Report) and LightPath Technologies (NASDAQ:LPTH – Get Free Report) are both technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, risk, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations and valuation.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
94.5% of Plexus shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.3% of LightPath Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. 1.8% of Plexus shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 24.8% of LightPath Technologies shares are held 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.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Plexus and LightPath Technologies”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Plexus | $4.03 billion | 1.48 | $172.88 million | $6.78 | 32.79 |
| LightPath Technologies | $71.72 million | 7.26 | -$20.55 million | ($0.40) | -18.57 |
Plexus has higher revenue and earnings than LightPath Technologies. LightPath Technologies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Plexus, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Plexus and LightPath Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Plexus | 4.03% | 12.46% | 5.57% |
| LightPath Technologies | -28.65% | -7.02% | -4.13% |
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Plexus and LightPath Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Plexus | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3.00 |
| LightPath Technologies | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2.83 |
Plexus currently has a consensus target price of $276.86, indicating a potential upside of 24.53%. LightPath Technologies has a consensus target price of $13.70, indicating a potential upside of 84.39%. Given LightPath Technologies’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe LightPath Technologies is more favorable than Plexus.
Volatility & Risk
Plexus has a beta of 0.88, suggesting that its share price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, LightPath Technologies has a beta of 1.38, suggesting that its share price is 38% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Plexus beats LightPath Technologies on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Plexus
Plexus Corp. provides electronic manufacturing services in the United States and internationally. It offers design, develop, supply chain, new product introduction, and manufacturing solutions, as well as sustaining services to companies in the healthcare/life sciences, industrial/commercial, aerospace/defense, and communications market sectors. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Neenah, Wisconsin.
About LightPath Technologies
LightPath Technologies, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes optical components and assemblies. The company offers precision molded glass aspheric optics, molded and diamond-turned infrared aspheric lenses, and other optical components used to produce products that manipulate light; and infrared products, including catalog and custom infrared optics. Its products are used in defense products, medical devices, laser aided industrial tools, automotive safety applications, barcode scanners, optical data storage, hybrid fiber coax datacom, telecommunications, machine vision and sensors, and other sectors. The company sells its products directly to customers in Europe and Asia. LightPath Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.
Receive News & Ratings for Plexus Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Plexus and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
