Reviewing Spruce Power (NYSE:SPRU) and Location Based Technologies (OTCMKTS:LBAS)

Spruce Power (NYSE:SPRU) and Location Based Technologies (OTCMKTS:LBAS) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends and profitability.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

20.8% of Spruce Power shares are held by institutional investors. 12.7% of Spruce Power shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 24.1% of Location Based Technologies shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Spruce Power and Location Based Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Spruce Power	-23.23%	-18.82%	-2.86%
Location Based Technologies	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Spruce Power and Location Based Technologies”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Spruce Power	$82.11 million	0.92	-$70.49 million	($1.38)	-3.01
Location Based Technologies	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Location Based Technologies has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Spruce Power.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Spruce Power and Location Based Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Spruce Power	1	0	0	0	1.00
Location Based Technologies	0	0	0	0	0.00

Volatility and Risk

Spruce Power has a beta of 1.24, indicating that its share price is 24% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Location Based Technologies has a beta of 1.35, indicating that its share price is 35% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Location Based Technologies beats Spruce Power on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Spruce Power

Spruce Power Holding Corporation owns and operates distributed solar energy assets in the United States. The company provides subscription-based services for homeowners and businesses to own and maintain rooftop solar and battery storage. It offers its subscription-based services to approximately 75,000 customers. The company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

About Location Based Technologies

Location Based Technologies, Inc. designs, develops, and sells commercial and consumer wearable global positioning system (GPS) tracking solutions based on worldwide GSM network. It offers consumer products under the PocketFinder brand, including PocketFinder, PocketFinder luggage, PocketFinder Pet, and PocketFinder Vehicle that displays information to users regarding device location, longitude, latitude, altitude, heading or direction, speed, and 60 days of location history; and set alerts that will trigger an email, text, or push notification to notify them when their device exceeds a pre-determined parameter, such as speed, battery life, or entry/exit of a geo-zone. The company's PocketFinder Personal/Pet or luggage devices include small devices that are ideal for tracking or locating any mobile asset, person, pet, or valuable item; and PocketFinder Vehicle tracker is to be hardwired to any powered asset, such as vehicle, watercraft, or mobile generator to locate and track a mobile assets. It also provides commercial products under the LBT brand, including LBT-886 and LBT Vehicle Tracker. The company's LBT-886 comprises location device that enables a user to locate and track any person or mobile asset; and LBT Vehicle Tracker provides tracking features with capabilities, such as temperature, light and humidity monitoring, engine on/off monitoring, and starter interrupt engine capability or lone worker emergency alerts. It markets and sells its commercial products to small/midsize businesses, enterprise businesses, and governmental organizations that need to track vehicles, mobile equipment, portable assets, and workers through online retailers, as well as through its pocketfinder.com Website. The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Irvine, California.