FTC Solar (NASDAQ:FTCI) and SPI Energy (NASDAQ:SPI) Critical Contrast

FTC Solar (NASDAQ:FTCI – Get Rating) and SPI Energy (NASDAQ:SPI – Get Rating) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares FTC Solar and SPI Energy’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
FTC Solar	$270.52 million	1.46	-$106.59 million	($1.47)	-2.70
SPI Energy	$161.99 million	0.38	-$45.49 million	N/A	N/A

SPI Energy has lower revenue, but higher earnings than FTC Solar.

Profitability

This table compares FTC Solar and SPI Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
FTC Solar	-51.28%	-54.97%	-35.87%
SPI Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for FTC Solar and SPI Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
FTC Solar	2	1	4	1	2.50
SPI Energy	0	0	1	0	3.00

FTC Solar presently has a consensus price target of $7.00, suggesting a potential upside of 76.32%. SPI Energy has a consensus price target of $12.00, suggesting a potential upside of 440.54%. Given SPI Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe SPI Energy is more favorable than FTC Solar.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

20.4% of FTC Solar shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 9.2% of SPI Energy shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

FTC Solar has a beta of 3.59, meaning that its stock price is 259% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SPI Energy has a beta of 1.13, meaning that its stock price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500.

FTC Solar Company Profile (Get Rating)

FTC Solar, Inc. provides solar tracker systems, technology, software, and engineering services in the United States, Vietnam, and internationally. It offers two-panel in-portrait single-axis tracker solutions under the Voyager brand name. The company also provides SunPath, a software solution to enhance energy production; Atlas, a web-based enterprise-level database that allows users to manage their project portfolio; and SunDAT, a software solution enables automated design and optimization of solar panel systems across residential, commercial, and utility-scale sites. Its customers include project developers; solar asset owners; and engineering, procurement, and construction contractors that design and build solar energy projects. FTC Solar, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

SPI Energy Company Profile (Get Rating)

SPI Energy Co., Ltd. provides photovoltaic and electric vehicle (EV) solutions for business, residential, government, and utility customers and investors in Australia, Japan, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Greece. The company offers engineering, procurement, and construction services to independent power developers and producers, and commercial and industrial companies. It also develops, owns, and operates solar projects that sell electricity to power companies and other electricity off-takers, including government-owned utility companies. In addition, the company designs and develops EV charging solutions. As of March 30, 2022, it owned and operated 16.8 megawatts of solar projects. The company is headquartered in Sacramento, California.

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