CECO Environmental (NASDAQ:CECO) vs. LiqTech International (NASDAQ:LIQT) Head-To-Head Review

LiqTech International (NASDAQ:LIQT) and CECO Environmental (NASDAQ:CECO) are both industrials companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, earnings, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares LiqTech International and CECO Environmental’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LiqTech International	-53.25%	-61.21%	-28.15%
CECO Environmental	7.22%	10.84%	3.60%

Volatility & Risk

LiqTech International has a beta of 1.12, indicating that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CECO Environmental has a beta of 1.39, indicating that its stock price is 39% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for LiqTech International and CECO Environmental, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LiqTech International	1	0	1	0	2.00
CECO Environmental	0	1	7	0	2.88

LiqTech International currently has a consensus price target of $4.20, indicating a potential upside of 181.88%. CECO Environmental has a consensus price target of $58.80, indicating a potential downside of 1.66%. Given LiqTech International’s higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe LiqTech International is more favorable than CECO Environmental.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares LiqTech International and CECO Environmental”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LiqTech International	$16.79 million	0.85	-$10.35 million	($1.01)	-1.48
CECO Environmental	$557.93 million	3.82	$12.96 million	$1.41	42.40

CECO Environmental has higher revenue and earnings than LiqTech International. LiqTech International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CECO Environmental, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

35.1% of LiqTech International shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.1% of CECO Environmental shares are held by institutional investors. 12.8% of LiqTech International shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 18.4% of CECO Environmental shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

CECO Environmental beats LiqTech International on 13 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LiqTech International

LiqTech International, Inc., a clean technology company, designs, develops, produces, markets, and sells automated filtering systems, ceramic silicon carbide liquid applications, and diesel particulate air filters in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America. The company operates through Water, Ceramics, and Plastics segments. It also manufactures and sells silicon carbide ceramic filtration technologies for liquid and gas purification; and diesel particulate filters for exhaust emission control solutions to the verified retrofit and the original equipment manufacturer market. In addition, the company develops, manufactures, and sells liquid filtration systems, which are used for the marine scrubber systems, filtration of produced water, industrial applications, pool and spa water, food and beverage application, and silicon carbide membrane technology. Further, it provides flexible and plastics manufacturing products for machining, welding, bending, and solvent cementing. LiqTech International, Inc. sells its products primarily to industrial customers through direct sales, systems integrators, distributors, agents, and partners. The company was formerly known as Blue Moose Media, Inc. and changed its name to LiqTech International, Inc. in October 2011. LiqTech International, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Ballerup, Denmark.

About CECO Environmental

CECO Environmental Corp. provides critical solutions in industrial air quality, industrial water treatment, and energy transition solutions worldwide. It operates in two segments: Engineered Systems and Industrial Process Solutions. The company engineers, designs, manufactures, and installs non-metallic expansion joints and flow control products, including rubber expansion joints, ducting expansion joints, and industrial pinch and duck bill valves; membrane-based industrial water and wastewater treatment systems; and provides dust and fume extraction solutions comprising consultation, design, manufacturing, installation, and service, as well as water and wastewater treatment solutions. It offers engineered and configured products and solutions, including dampers and diverters, expansion joints, selective catalytic reduction systems, severe-service and industrial cyclones, dust collectors, thermal oxidizers, filtration systems, wet and dry scrubbers, separators and coalescers, water treatment packages, metallic and non-metallic pumps, industrial silencers, and fluid handling equipment, as well as plant engineering services and engineered design build fabrication services. In addition, the company offers industrial engineered noise control solutions, including custom acoustical gen-set packages, ambient air baffles, acoustical louvres, and skid enclosures; process filtration solutions for hydrocarbon and chemical processing; and energy and water conservation systems and equipment. The company markets its products and services to natural gas processors, transmission and distribution companies, refineries, power generators, industrial manufacturing, engineering and construction companies, semiconductor manufacturers, compressor manufacturers, beverage can manufacturers, metals and minerals, and electric vehicle producers. CECO Environmental Corp. was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.