Head to Head Contrast: NET Power (NYSE:NPWR) vs. W2 Energy (OTCMKTS:AEPT)

NET Power (NYSE:NPWR) and W2 Energy (OTCMKTS:AEPT) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends and risk.

Volatility and Risk

NET Power has a beta of 0.81, suggesting that its share price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, W2 Energy has a beta of -0.31, suggesting that its share price is 131% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

53.6% of NET Power shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 2.3% of W2 Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 2.1% of NET Power shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares NET Power and W2 Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
NET Power	N/A	53.08%	16.63%
W2 Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for NET Power and W2 Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
NET Power	1	1	1	0	2.00
W2 Energy	0	0	0	0	0.00

NET Power currently has a consensus price target of $3.50, indicating a potential upside of 48.94%. Given NET Power’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe NET Power is more favorable than W2 Energy.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares NET Power and W2 Energy”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
NET Power	$250,000.00	2,088.12	-$49.19 million	($7.65)	-0.31
W2 Energy	$23.81 million	0.00	N/A	N/A	N/A

W2 Energy has higher revenue and earnings than NET Power.

Summary

NET Power beats W2 Energy on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About NET Power

NET Power Inc. operates as a clean energy technology company. The company invents, develops, and licenses clean power generation technology. NET Power Inc. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.

About W2 Energy

American Environmental Partners, Inc., through its subsidiaries, sources, treats, and distributes reclaimed water in the United States. It engages in the designing, construction, and operation of regional water treatment facilities that serve industrial, energy, and government sectors. The company also focuses on drilling, operating, and partnership opportunities in the upstream oil and gas space. It also provides geotechnical services; educational marketing platforms of podcasts and videography; and construction, drilling, flowback, completions, and well-site services. The company was formerly known as American Energy Partners, Inc. and changed its name to American Environmental Partners, Inc. in October 2023. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.