Maxeon Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:MAXN) versus MaxLinear (NYSE:MXL) Head to Head Survey

Maxeon Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:MAXN) and MaxLinear (NYSE:MXL) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, risk, earnings and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Maxeon Solar Technologies and MaxLinear’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Maxeon Solar Technologies	-37.92%	-390.12%	-32.72%
MaxLinear	-42.38%	-12.39%	-7.82%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Maxeon Solar Technologies and MaxLinear, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Maxeon Solar Technologies	4	6	0	0	1.60
MaxLinear	0	6	4	0	2.40

Maxeon Solar Technologies currently has a consensus price target of $4.41, suggesting a potential upside of 5,240.91%. MaxLinear has a consensus price target of $24.67, suggesting a potential upside of 87.86%. Given Maxeon Solar Technologies’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Maxeon Solar Technologies is more favorable than MaxLinear.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Maxeon Solar Technologies and MaxLinear’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Maxeon Solar Technologies	$828.08 million	0.01	-$275.83 million	($7.80)	-0.01
MaxLinear	$448.14 million	2.44	-$73.15 million	($1.89)	-6.95

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

Volatility and Risk

Maxeon Solar Technologies has a beta of 1.43, indicating that its share price is 43% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MaxLinear has a beta of 1.85, indicating that its share price is 85% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

47.7% of Maxeon Solar Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.8% of MaxLinear shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of Maxeon Solar Technologies shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 8.6% of MaxLinear shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

MaxLinear beats Maxeon Solar Technologies on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Maxeon Solar Technologies

Maxeon Solar Technologies, Ltd. designs, manufactures, markets, and sells solar panels and related solar system components worldwide. The company provides interdigitated back contact and shingled solar cells and panels under the SunPower brand. It offers its products to dealers, project developers, system integrators, distributors, resellers, and residential and small-scale commercial customers. The company was incorporated in 2019 and is headquartered in Singapore.

About MaxLinear

MaxLinear, Inc. provides communications systems-on-chip solutions worldwide. Its products integrate various portions of a high-speed communication system, including radio frequency, high-performance analog, mixed-signal, digital signal processing, security engines, data compression and networking layers, and power management. The company's products are used in various electronic devices, such as radio transceivers and modems for 4G/5G base-station and backhaul infrastructure; optical transceivers targeting hyperscale data centers; Wi-Fi and wireline routers for home networking; broadband modems compliant with data over cable service interface specifications, passive optical fiber standards, and digital subscriber line, as well as power management and interface products. It serves electronics distributors, module makers, original equipment manufacturers, and original design manufacturers through a direct sales force, third-party sales representatives, and a network of distributors. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California.