NWPX Infrastructure (NASDAQ:NWPX) and Liquidmetal Technologies (OTCMKTS:LQMT) Head-To-Head Contrast

NWPX Infrastructure (NASDAQ:NWPX) and Liquidmetal Technologies (OTCMKTS:LQMT) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk and earnings.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for NWPX Infrastructure and Liquidmetal Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
NWPX Infrastructure	0	3	0	0	2.00
Liquidmetal Technologies	0	0	0	0	0.00

NWPX Infrastructure presently has a consensus target price of $55.00, suggesting a potential upside of 32.53%. Given NWPX Infrastructure’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe NWPX Infrastructure is more favorable than Liquidmetal Technologies.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares NWPX Infrastructure and Liquidmetal Technologies”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
NWPX Infrastructure	$492.55 million	0.83	$34.21 million	$3.27	12.69
Liquidmetal Technologies	$860,000.00	149.32	-$1.51 million	N/A	N/A

NWPX Infrastructure has higher revenue and earnings than Liquidmetal Technologies.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

80.6% of NWPX Infrastructure shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of Liquidmetal Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.3% of NWPX Infrastructure shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 45.4% of Liquidmetal Technologies shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

NWPX Infrastructure has a beta of 0.91, indicating that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Liquidmetal Technologies has a beta of 0.58, indicating that its stock price is 42% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares NWPX Infrastructure and Liquidmetal Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
NWPX Infrastructure	6.65%	8.99%	5.44%
Liquidmetal Technologies	-182.04%	-6.00%	-5.75%

Summary

NWPX Infrastructure beats Liquidmetal Technologies on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About NWPX Infrastructure

Northwest Pipe Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and supply of water-related infrastructure products in North America. It operates in two segments, Engineered Steel Pressure Pipe (SPP) and Precast Infrastructure and Engineered Systems (Precast). The SPP segment offers large-diameter and high-pressure steel pipeline systems for use in water infrastructure applications, which are primarily related to drinking water systems. Its products are also used for hydroelectric power systems, wastewater systems, seismic resiliency, and other applications. In addition, this segment makes products for industrial plant piping systems and certain structural applications. The Precast segment provides stormwater and wastewater technology products, precast, and reinforced concrete products, including reinforced concrete pipe, manholes, box culverts, vaults and catch basins, pump lift stations, oil water separators, biofiltration units, steel casing pipes, and bar-wrapped concrete cylinder pipes, as well as pipeline system joints, fittings, specialized components, and other environmental and engineered solutions. The company sells its water infrastructure products under ParkUSA, Geneva Pipe and Precast, Permalok, and Northwest Pipe Company brands primarily to installation contractors. Northwest Pipe Company was incorporated in 1966 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington.

About Liquidmetal Technologies

Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc., a materials technology company, designs, develops, and sells custom products and parts from bulk amorphous alloys to various industries in the United States and internationally. The company provides bulk amorphous alloy custom products and parts for applications, which include non-consumer electronic devices, medical products, automotive components, and sports and leisure goods. It offers tooling and prototype parts, such as demonstration parts and test samples for customers with products in development; and engages in product licensing activities. In addition, the company partners with third-party manufacturers and licensees to develop and commercialize liquid metal alloy products. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Lake Forest, California.