Comparing Decent (NASDAQ:DXST) and Aqua Metals (NASDAQ:AQMS)

Aqua Metals (NASDAQ:AQMS) and Decent (NASDAQ:DXST) are both small-cap business services companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

22.0% of Aqua Metals shares are held by institutional investors. 8.3% of Aqua Metals shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Aqua Metals and Decent’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Aqua Metals	N/A	-185.00%	-129.28%
Decent	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Aqua Metals and Decent, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Aqua Metals	1	0	1	0	2.00
Decent	1	0	0	0	1.00

Risk & Volatility

Aqua Metals has a beta of 0.25, meaning that its share price is 75% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Decent has a beta of 0.35, meaning that its share price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Aqua Metals and Decent”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Aqua Metals	$30,000.00	368.48	-$22.65 million	($10.85)	-0.30
Decent	$12.95 million	0.20	-$320,000.00	N/A	N/A

Decent has higher revenue and earnings than Aqua Metals.

About Aqua Metals

Aqua Metals, Inc. engages in reinventing metals recycling activities with its patented AquaRefining technology. The company's technology produces metals and alloys that can be returned into the battery manufacturing supply chain markets, as well as sells metals for use in various advanced manufacturing industries. Its AquaRefining, a low-emissions and recycling technology that replaces polluting furnaces and hazardous chemicals with electricity-powered electroplating to recover valuable metals and materials from spent batteries. Aqua Metals, Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Reno, Nevada.

About Decent

Decent Holding, Inc. engages in the provision of wastewater treatment by cleansing the industrial wastewater, ecological river restoration, and river ecosystem management. Its products and services include river water quality management and microbial products for water quality enhancement and pollutant cleansing purposes. The company was founded by Ding Xin Sun on January 6, 2022 and is headquartered in Yantai, China.