Valens Semiconductor (VLN) Competitors

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) and Valens Semiconductor (NYSE:VLN) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, community ranking, valuation, media sentiment, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk.

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer AAOI or VLN?

Applied Optoelectronics received 594 more outperform votes than Valens Semiconductor when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 64.91% of users gave Applied Optoelectronics an outperform vote while only 39.13% of users gave Valens Semiconductor an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Applied Optoelectronics	Outperform Votes 603 64.91%	Underperform Votes 326 35.09%
Valens Semiconductor	Outperform Votes 9 39.13%	Underperform Votes 14 60.87%

Is AAOI or VLN more profitable?

Applied Optoelectronics has a net margin of -34.84% compared to Valens Semiconductor's net margin of -46.71%. Valens Semiconductor's return on equity of -17.06% beat Applied Optoelectronics' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Applied Optoelectronics	-34.84%	-19.82%	-10.51%
Valens Semiconductor	-46.71%	-17.06%	-15.35%

Which has better earnings and valuation, AAOI or VLN?

Valens Semiconductor has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Applied Optoelectronics. Applied Optoelectronics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Valens Semiconductor, 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
Applied Optoelectronics	$217.65M	3.16	-$56.05M	-$1.91	-8.82
Valens Semiconductor	$84.16M	2.21	-$19.66M	-$0.27	-6.48

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in AAOI or VLN?

61.7% of Applied Optoelectronics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 33.9% of Valens Semiconductor shares are held by institutional investors. 5.4% of Applied Optoelectronics shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 58.9% of Valens Semiconductor shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts prefer AAOI or VLN?

Applied Optoelectronics presently has a consensus price target of $13.75, suggesting a potential downside of 18.35%. Valens Semiconductor has a consensus price target of $4.00, suggesting a potential upside of 128.57%. Given Valens Semiconductor's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Valens Semiconductor is more favorable than Applied Optoelectronics.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Applied Optoelectronics	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Valens Semiconductor	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Does the media favor AAOI or VLN?

In the previous week, Applied Optoelectronics had 3 more articles in the media than Valens Semiconductor. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for Applied Optoelectronics and 2 mentions for Valens Semiconductor. Valens Semiconductor's average media sentiment score of 0.98 beat Applied Optoelectronics' score of 0.34 indicating that Valens Semiconductor is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Applied Optoelectronics	1 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Valens Semiconductor	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility and risk, AAOI or VLN?

Applied Optoelectronics has a beta of 1.96, suggesting that its share price is 96% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Valens Semiconductor has a beta of 0.4, suggesting that its share price is 60% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Applied Optoelectronics beats Valens Semiconductor on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.