nLIGHT (LASR) Competitors

nLIGHT (NASDAQ:LASR) and Silicon Motion Technology (NASDAQ:SIMO) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, dividends, profitability, community ranking, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings and institutional ownership.

Does the media favor LASR or SIMO?

In the previous week, nLIGHT had 3 more articles in the media than Silicon Motion Technology. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for nLIGHT and 11 mentions for Silicon Motion Technology. Silicon Motion Technology's average media sentiment score of 0.28 beat nLIGHT's score of 0.24 indicating that Silicon Motion Technology is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
nLIGHT	2 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	4 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Silicon Motion Technology	2 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in LASR or SIMO?

83.9% of nLIGHT shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 78.0% of Silicon Motion Technology shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.1% of nLIGHT shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.3% of Silicon Motion Technology shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, LASR or SIMO?

Silicon Motion Technology has higher revenue and earnings than nLIGHT. nLIGHT is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Silicon Motion Technology, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
nLIGHT	$209.92M	2.56	-$41.67M	-$1.03	-10.78
Silicon Motion Technology	$639.14M	2.74	$52.87M	$2.64	19.68

Is LASR or SIMO more profitable?

Silicon Motion Technology has a net margin of 10.90% compared to nLIGHT's net margin of -24.16%. Silicon Motion Technology's return on equity of 11.52% beat nLIGHT's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
nLIGHT	-24.16%	-19.53%	-15.91%
Silicon Motion Technology	10.90%	11.52%	8.64%

Which has more volatility & risk, LASR or SIMO?

nLIGHT has a beta of 2.19, suggesting that its share price is 119% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Silicon Motion Technology has a beta of 0.8, suggesting that its share price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer LASR or SIMO?

nLIGHT presently has a consensus target price of $15.63, suggesting a potential upside of 40.77%. Silicon Motion Technology has a consensus target price of $81.67, suggesting a potential upside of 57.17%. Given Silicon Motion Technology's higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Silicon Motion Technology is more favorable than nLIGHT.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
nLIGHT	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Silicon Motion Technology	1 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.78

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer LASR or SIMO?

Silicon Motion Technology received 655 more outperform votes than nLIGHT when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 76.46% of users gave Silicon Motion Technology an outperform vote while only 63.64% of users gave nLIGHT an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
nLIGHT	Outperform Votes 196 63.64%	Underperform Votes 112 36.36%
Silicon Motion Technology	Outperform Votes 851 76.46%	Underperform Votes 262 23.54%

Summary

Silicon Motion Technology beats nLIGHT on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.