American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) vs. Anixter International (AXE) Head to Head Contrast

American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: AMSC) and Anixter International (NYSE:AXE) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership, earnings and profitability.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for American Superconductor Corporation and Anixter International, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
American Superconductor Corporation	0	1	5	0	2.83
Anixter International	0	3	1	0	2.25

American Superconductor Corporation presently has a consensus price target of $7.33, suggesting a potential upside of 89.49%. Anixter International has a consensus price target of $86.00, suggesting a potential upside of 19.78%. Given American Superconductor Corporation’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe American Superconductor Corporation is more favorable than Anixter International.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

31.8% of American Superconductor Corporation shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.6% of Anixter International shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.6% of American Superconductor Corporation shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 14.7% of Anixter International shares are owned by company 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 American Superconductor Corporation and Anixter International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
American Superconductor Corporation	-45.60%	-54.39%	-32.07%
Anixter International	1.91%	13.09%	4.22%

Volatility and Risk

American Superconductor Corporation has a beta of 1.14, indicating that its stock price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Anixter International has a beta of 1.98, indicating that its stock price is 98% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares American Superconductor Corporation and Anixter International’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	EBITDA	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
American Superconductor Corporation	$70.77 million	1.05	-$21.56 million	($2.14)	-1.81
Anixter International	$7.75 billion	0.31	$382.00 million	$4.39	16.36

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

Summary

Anixter International beats American Superconductor Corporation on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About American Superconductor Corporation

American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) is a provider of megawatt-scale solutions. The Company operates through two segments: Wind and Grid. Through the Company’s Windtec Solutions brand, the Wind business segment enables manufacturers to field wind turbines. Through the Company’s Gridtec Solutions, the Grid business segment enables electric utilities and renewable energy project developers to connect, transmit and distribute power. AMSC supplies power electronics and control systems, licenses its engineered wind turbine designs and provides customer support services to wind turbine manufacturers. The Company provides a range of power electronics and software-based control systems. AMSC provides transmission planning services that enable it to identify power grid congestion and other risks. The Company also sells grid interconnection solutions for wind farms and solar power plants, power quality systems, and transmission and distribution cable systems.

About Anixter International

Anixter International Inc. is engaged in the distribution of enterprise cabling and security solutions, electrical and electronic wire and cable products and utility power solutions. The Company operates through three segments: Network & Security Solutions (NSS), Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), and Utility Power Solutions (UPS). The NSS segment’s product portfolio includes access control, power, cable management, wireless, professional audio/video, voice and networking switches, and other ancillary products. The EES segment’s product portfolio includes electrical and electronic wire and cable, shipboard cable, support and supply products, low-voltage cable, instrumentation cable, industrial communication and control products, security cable, connectors, industrial Ethernet switches, and voice and data cable. The UPS segment supplies electrical transmission and distribution products, power plant maintenance, repair and operations supplies, and smart-grid products.