LightPath Technologies (NASDAQ:LPTH – Get Free Report) and Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT – Get Free Report) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations and profitability.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
56.3% of LightPath Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.3% of Novanta shares are held by institutional investors. 24.8% of LightPath Technologies shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of Novanta shares are held by company 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.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for LightPath Technologies and Novanta, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| LightPath Technologies | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Novanta | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.67 |
Profitability
This table compares LightPath Technologies and Novanta’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| LightPath Technologies | -39.92% | -53.40% | -18.17% |
| Novanta | 6.41% | 14.70% | 7.88% |
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares LightPath Technologies and Novanta”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| LightPath Technologies | $43.86 million | 6.96 | -$14.87 million | ($0.39) | -17.23 |
| Novanta | $960.31 million | 3.75 | $64.09 million | $1.47 | 68.47 |
Novanta has higher revenue and earnings than LightPath Technologies. LightPath Technologies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Novanta, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Volatility & Risk
LightPath Technologies has a beta of 1.18, meaning that its share price is 18% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Novanta has a beta of 1.54, meaning that its share price is 54% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Novanta beats LightPath Technologies on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
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.
About Novanta
Novanta, Inc. engages in the provision of core technology solutions to healthcare and advanced industrial original equipment manufacturers. It operates through the following segments: Photonics, Vision, and Precision Motion. The Photonics segment designs, manufactures, and markets photonics-based solutions, including laser scanning and laser beam delivery, CO2 laser, continuous wave and ultrafast laser, and optical light engine products. The Vision segment offers a range of medical grade technologies, including medical insufflators, pumps and related disposables, surgical displays and operating room integration technologies, optical data collection and machine vision technologies, radio frequency identification technologies, thermal printers, spectrometry technologies, and embedded touch screen solutions. The Precision Motion segment includes optical encoders, precision motor and motion control technology, air bearing spindles, and precision machined components to customers. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Bedford, MA.
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