Financial Contrast: Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS) vs. 908 Devices (NASDAQ:MASS)

908 Devices (NASDAQ:MASS) and Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS) are both technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation and dividends.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares 908 Devices and Plexus”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
908 Devices	$60.84 million	6.66	$19.49 million	($0.95)	-10.33
Plexus	$4.03 billion	1.66	$172.88 million	$6.78	36.86

Plexus has higher revenue and earnings than 908 Devices. 908 Devices is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Plexus, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for 908 Devices and Plexus, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
908 Devices	1	0	2	0	2.33
Plexus	0	0	6	1	3.14

908 Devices presently has a consensus price target of $12.50, indicating a potential upside of 27.42%. Plexus has a consensus price target of $273.00, indicating a potential upside of 9.24%. Given 908 Devices’ higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe 908 Devices is more favorable than Plexus.

Risk & Volatility

908 Devices has a beta of 0.68, meaning that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Plexus has a beta of 0.89, meaning that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares 908 Devices and Plexus’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
908 Devices	-56.96%	-12.54%	-8.87%
Plexus	4.03%	12.46%	5.57%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

88.1% of 908 Devices shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.5% of Plexus shares are held by institutional investors. 28.2% of 908 Devices shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of Plexus shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Plexus beats 908 Devices on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About 908 Devices

908 Devices Inc., a commercial-stage technology company, provides various purpose-built handheld and desktop mass spectrometry devices to interrogate unknown and invisible materials in life sciences research, bioprocessing, pharma/biopharma, forensics, and adjacent markets. The company's products include MX908, a handheld, battery-powered, and Mass Spec device that is designed for rapid analysis of solid, liquid, vapor, and aerosol materials of unknown identity; Rebel, a small desktop analyzer that provides real-time information on the extracellular environment in bioprocesses; and Maverick, an optical in-line analyzer that offers real-time monitoring and control of multiple bioprocess parameters, including glucose, lactate, and total biomass in mammalian cell cultures, as well as provides process fingerprint data to support large-scale efforts in predictive bioprocess modeling. Its products also comprise Maven and Trace C2, an online device for bioprocess monitoring and control; and ZipChip solution, a plug-and-play, high-resolution separation platform that optimizes Mass Spec sample analysis. The company operates in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and rest of the Americas. 908 Devices Inc. was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

About Plexus

Plexus Corp. provides electronic manufacturing services in the United States and internationally. It offers design, develop, supply chain, new product introduction, and manufacturing solutions, as well as sustaining services to companies in the healthcare/life sciences, industrial/commercial, aerospace/defense, and communications market sectors. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Neenah, Wisconsin.