ESS Tech (NYSE:GWH) versus Hoku (OTCMKTS:HOKUQ) Head-To-Head Analysis

ESS Tech (NYSE:GWH) and Hoku (OTCMKTS:HOKUQ) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares ESS Tech and Hoku’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ESS Tech	$9.91 million	13.60	-$77.58 million	($0.45)	-1.71
Hoku	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Hoku has lower revenue, but higher earnings than ESS Tech.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

46.8% of ESS Tech shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of ESS Tech shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.2% of Hoku shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares ESS Tech and Hoku’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ESS Tech	-746.89%	-73.08%	-53.49%
Hoku	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for ESS Tech and Hoku, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ESS Tech	0	2	3	1	2.83
Hoku	0	0	0	0	N/A

ESS Tech currently has a consensus price target of $2.01, suggesting a potential upside of 160.82%.

About ESS Tech

ESS Tech, Inc., an energy storage company, designs and produces iron flow batteries for commercial and utility-scale energy storage applications worldwide. It offers energy storage products, which include Energy Warehouse, a behind-the-meter solution; and Energy Center, a front-of-the-meter solution. The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon.

About Hoku

Hoku Corporation operates as a solar energy products and services company primarily in the United States. It focuses on manufacturing polysilicon, a primary material used in the manufacture of photovoltaic (PV) modules; and designing, engineering, and installing turnkey PV systems and related services in Hawaii using solar modules purchased from third-party suppliers. The company was formerly known as Hoku Scientific, Inc. and changed its name to Hoku Corporation in March 2010. Hoku Corporation was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. On July 2, 2013, Hoku Corporation along with its affiliates filed a voluntary petition for liquidation under Chapter 7 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Idaho.