Contrasting Gevo (NASDAQ:GEVO) & KiOR (OTCMKTS:KIORQ)

KiOR (OTCMKTS:KIORQ) and Gevo (NASDAQ:GEVO) are both manufacturing companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, risk, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares KiOR and Gevo’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
KiOR	N/A	N/A	N/A
Gevo	-510.04%	-14.95%	-12.69%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares KiOR and Gevo”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
KiOR	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Gevo	$15.59 million	22.58	-$66.21 million	($0.34)	-4.32

KiOR has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Gevo.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for KiOR and Gevo, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
KiOR	0	0	0	0	0.00
Gevo	0	1	1	0	2.50

Gevo has a consensus price target of $8.63, indicating a potential upside of 486.73%. Given Gevo’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Gevo is more favorable than KiOR.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

35.2% of Gevo shares are held by institutional investors. 4.0% of Gevo shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Gevo beats KiOR on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About KiOR

KiOR, Inc., incorporated on July 23, 2007, is a development-stage and is a next generation renewable fuels company. The Company is engaged in developing a commercial process to produce cellulosic gasoline and diesel from abundant, lignocellulosic biomass. The Company has developed a two-step technology platform that converts non-food lignocellulose into cellulosic gasoline and diesel that can be transported using the existing fuels distribution system for use in vehicles. The other renewable fuels are derived from soft starches, such as corn starch or cane sugar, for ethanol, or from soy and other vegetable oils for biodiesel, cellulosic fuel is derived from lignocellulose found in wood, grasses and the non-edible portions of plants. The Company has not generated any revenue.

About Gevo

Gevo, Inc. operates as a carbon abatement company. It operates through three segments: Gevo, Agri-Energy, and Renewable Natural Gas. The company focuses on transforming renewable energy into energy-dense liquid hydrocarbons that can be used as renewable fuels. It offers renewable gasoline and diesel, isobutanol, sustainable aviation fuel, renewable natural gas, isobutylene, ethanol, and animal feed and protein. The company was formerly known as Methanotech, Inc. and changed its name to Gevo, Inc. in March 2006. Gevo, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.