NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) versus zSpace (NASDAQ:ZSPC) Financial Contrast

zSpace (NASDAQ:ZSPC) and NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, dividends, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares zSpace and NPK International”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
zSpace	$38.10 million	0.37	-$20.82 million	($0.79)	-0.61
NPK International	$217.49 million	5.22	-$150.26 million	$0.38	35.33

zSpace has higher earnings, but lower revenue than NPK International. zSpace is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than NPK International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

80.8% of NPK International shares are held by institutional investors. 55.7% of zSpace shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 4.9% of NPK International shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for zSpace and NPK International, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
zSpace	1	1	4	0	2.50
NPK International	0	1	3	0	2.75

zSpace currently has a consensus target price of $9.50, suggesting a potential upside of 1,879.17%. NPK International has a consensus target price of $14.17, suggesting a potential upside of 5.53%. Given zSpace’s higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe zSpace is more favorable than NPK International.

Profitability

This table compares zSpace and NPK International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
zSpace	-68.88%	N/A	-177.47%
NPK International	12.74%	9.93%	8.26%

Summary

NPK International beats zSpace on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About zSpace

zSpace Technologies, Inc. is a provider of commercial augmented reality and virtual reality technology principally in the education market. The Company offers differentiated hardware along with learning software modules for K-12 science, technology, engineering, game design and mathematics applications, as well as workforce-oriented career and technical education applications. zSpace Technologies Inc. is based in SAN JOSE, Calif.

About NPK International

NPK International Inc. provides products, rentals, and services primarily to the oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) industry. It operates through two segments, Fluids Systems and Industrial Solutions. The Fluids Systems segment provides drilling, completion, and stimulation fluids products and related technical services to customers primarily in the North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as other countries in the Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Industrial Solutions segment offers composite matting system rentals utilized for temporary worksite access; related site construction and services to customers in various markets, including power transmission, E&P, pipeline, renewable energy, petrochemical, construction, and other industries primarily in the United States and Europe; recyclable composite mats to customers worldwide; and access road construction, site planning and preparation, environmental protection, erosion control, and site restoration services. The company was formerly known as Newpark Resources, Inc. and changed its name to NPK International Inc. in December 2024. The company was incorporated in 1932 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.