Analyzing BioLargo (NASDAQ:BLGO) & Liquidmetal Technologies (OTCMKTS:LQMT)

Liquidmetal Technologies (OTCMKTS:LQMT) and BioLargo (NASDAQ:BLGO) are both small-cap industrial products companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership and risk.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.1% of Liquidmetal Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of BioLargo shares are owned by institutional investors. 45.4% of Liquidmetal Technologies shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 20.3% of BioLargo shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Liquidmetal Technologies and BioLargo, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Liquidmetal Technologies	0	0	0	0	N/A
BioLargo	0	0	0	0	N/A

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Liquidmetal Technologies and BioLargo”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Liquidmetal Technologies	$510,000.00	86.51	-$2.05 million	N/A	N/A
BioLargo	$12.23 million	5.87	-$3.50 million	($0.03)	-7.97

Liquidmetal Technologies has higher earnings, but lower revenue than BioLargo.

Profitability

This table compares Liquidmetal Technologies and BioLargo’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Liquidmetal Technologies	-159.90%	-4.35%	-4.18%
BioLargo	-16.53%	-58.35%	-32.12%

Volatility & Risk

Liquidmetal Technologies has a beta of 1.2, meaning that its share price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BioLargo has a beta of 0.18, meaning that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Liquidmetal Technologies beats BioLargo on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Liquidmetal Technologies

Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc., a materials technology company, designs, develops, and sells custom products and parts from bulk amorphous alloys to various industries in the United States and internationally. The company provides bulk amorphous alloy custom products and parts for applications, which include non-consumer electronic devices, medical products, automotive components, and sports and leisure goods. It offers tooling and prototype parts, such as demonstration parts and test samples for customers with products in development; and engages in product licensing activities. In addition, the company partners with third-party manufacturers and licensees to develop and commercialize liquid metal alloy products. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Lake Forest, California.

About BioLargo

BioLargo, Inc. invents, develops, and commercializes various platform technologies. Its technologies solve challenging environmental problems comprising per – and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) water contamination, advanced water and wastewater treatment, industrial odor and volatile organic compounds control, air quality control, infection control, and myriad environmental remediation. The company provides full-service environmental engineering services. BioLargo, Inc. was incorporated in 1991 and is based in Westminster, California.