ESS Tech (NYSE:GWH) vs. Captivision (NASDAQ:CAPT) Critical Survey

ESS Tech (NYSE:GWH) and Captivision (NASDAQ:CAPT) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, institutional ownership and earnings.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares ESS Tech and Captivision”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ESS Tech	$7.54 million	8.76	-$77.58 million	($6.55)	-0.85
Captivision	$14.64 million	0.96	-$74.73 million	N/A	N/A

Captivision has higher revenue and earnings than ESS Tech.

Volatility and Risk

ESS Tech has a beta of 1.32, suggesting that its share price is 32% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Captivision has a beta of 0.42, suggesting that its share price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for ESS Tech and Captivision, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ESS Tech	2	4	2	1	2.22
Captivision	0	0	0	0	0.00

ESS Tech currently has a consensus target price of $14.58, suggesting a potential upside of 162.29%. Given ESS Tech’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe ESS Tech is more favorable than Captivision.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ESS Tech	-1,263.79%	-101.96%	-66.46%
Captivision	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider and Institutional Ownership

46.8% of ESS Tech shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.3% of ESS Tech shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Captivision shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

ESS Tech beats Captivision on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

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 Captivision

Captivision Inc. engages in the development and manufacture of an architectural media glass product called G-Glass which is an IT-enabled construction material capable of transforming buildings into digital media devices. The company was founded on February 24, 2023 and is headquartered in Nailsworth, the United Kingdom.