American Defense Systems (OTCMKTS:ADFS) versus Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Head-To-Head Comparison

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) and American Defense Systems (OTCMKTS:ADFS) are both aerospace companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends and risk.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Woodward and American Defense Systems”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Woodward	$3.57 billion	6.05	$442.11 million	$7.94	45.56
American Defense Systems	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Woodward has higher revenue and earnings than American Defense Systems.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

81.2% of Woodward shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of Woodward shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 19.3% of American Defense Systems shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Woodward and American Defense Systems’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Woodward	12.89%	19.07%	10.23%
American Defense Systems	N/A	N/A	N/A

Risk & Volatility

Woodward has a beta of 0.96, indicating that its stock price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, American Defense Systems has a beta of 9.9, indicating that its stock price is 890% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Woodward and American Defense Systems, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Woodward	0	4	9	1	2.79
American Defense Systems	0	0	0	0	0.00

Woodward currently has a consensus price target of $354.80, indicating a potential downside of 1.93%. Given American Defense Systems’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe American Defense Systems is more favorable than Woodward.

Summary

Woodward beats American Defense Systems on 8 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Woodward

Woodward, Inc. designs, manufactures, and services control solutions for the aerospace and industrial markets worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace and Industrial. The Aerospace segment provides fuel pumps, metering units, actuators, air valves, specialty valves, fuel nozzles, and thrust reverser actuation systems for turbine engines and nacelles, and flight deck controls, actuators, servocontrols, motors, and sensors for aircraft. These products are used on commercial and private aircraft and rotorcraft, as well as on military fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft, guided weapons, and other defense systems. It also provides aftermarket maintenance, repair and overhaul, and other services to commercial airlines, repair facilities, military depots, third party repair shops, and other end users. This segment sells its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), tier-one suppliers, and contractors, as well as through aftermarket sales of components, such as provisioning spares and replacements. The Industrial segment offers actuators, valves, pumps, fuel injection systems, solenoids, ignition systems, speed controls, electronics and software, and sensors. These products are used on industrial gas turbines, steam turbines, compressors, and reciprocating engines. This segment sells its aftermarket products, and other related services to OEMs through an independent network of distributors, as well as directly to end users. The company was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado.

About American Defense Systems

American Defense Systems, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design and supply of transparent and opaque armor solutions for military and commercial applications. It offers crew protection kits that provide armor protection of operator compartments; VistaSteel transparent armor, a laminated glass that provides defensive barrier to protect against firearms, physical attack, and explosive blasts; VistaSteel opaque armors; lightweight armor systems; and VistaGuard windows, which are forced entry blast resistant windows, window frames, and transparent armor assemblies used to mitigate forced entry, ballistic, and terrorist threats in high visibility targets. The company also provides portable transparent ballistic shield, a bullet-resistant transparent mobile shield; heated ballistic ship windows; and hardware products, such as hinges, rotary and slam latches, combat locks, and egress windows. Its armor solutions for construction equipment, and tactical and non-tactical transport vehicles are designed to protect their occupants from landmines, hostile fire, and improvised explosive devices. In addition, the company offers engineering and consulting services; and develops and installs detention and security hardware, entry control and monitoring systems, intrusion detection systems, and security glass. Its products are used in transport and fighting vehicles, construction equipment, sea craft, and various fixed structures, which require ballistic and blast attenuation. American Defense Systems, Inc. serves various branches of the United States military, including the United States Department of Defense; and other United States government, law enforcement, and correctional agencies, as well as private sector customers. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Lillington, North Carolina.