Head to Head Review: Real Goods Solar (OTCMKTS:RGSEQ) & Ascent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:ASTI)

Real Goods Solar (OTCMKTS:RGSEQ) and Ascent Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:ASTI) are both energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, risk, dividends, earnings and institutional ownership.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Real Goods Solar and Ascent Solar Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Real Goods Solar	0	0	0	0	0.00
Ascent Solar Technologies	1	1	1	0	2.00

Ascent Solar Technologies has a consensus target price of $20.00, indicating a potential upside of 129.75%. Given Ascent Solar Technologies’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Ascent Solar Technologies is more favorable than Real Goods Solar.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

10.6% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of Real Goods Solar shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 4.1% of Ascent Solar Technologies shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Real Goods Solar and Ascent Solar Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Real Goods Solar	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ascent Solar Technologies	-7,311.40%	-127.37%	-86.27%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Real Goods Solar and Ascent Solar Technologies”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Real Goods Solar	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ascent Solar Technologies	$80,000.00	1,029.37	-$7.83 million	($2.46)	-3.54

Real Goods Solar has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Ascent Solar Technologies.

Summary

Ascent Solar Technologies beats Real Goods Solar on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Real Goods Solar

Real Goods Solar, Inc. provides solar energy systems to homeowners, and commercial building owners. It offers turnkey services, including design, procurement, permitting, build-out, grid connection, financing referrals, and warranty and customer satisfaction activities. The firm operates through three segments: Solar Division, POWERHOUSE and Other. The Solar Division segment engages the installation of solar energy systems for homeowners, including lease financing thereof, and small business commercial. The POWERHOUSE segment engages in the manufacturing and sales of solar shingles. The Other segment engages in corporate operations. The Other segment consists of corporate operations. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Denver, CO.

About Ascent Solar Technologies

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a solar technology company, engages in the manufacture and sale of photovoltaic solar modules in the United States. The company markets and sells its products through OEMs, system integrators, distributors, retailers, and value-added resellers. It serves agrivoltaics, aerospace, satellites, near earth orbiting vehicles, and fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles. Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Thornton, Colorado.