Analyzing AEye (NASDAQ:LIDR) and U Power (NASDAQ:UCAR)

AEye (NASDAQ:LIDR) and U Power (NASDAQ:UCAR) are both small-cap auto/tires/trucks companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, risk and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares AEye and U Power’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
AEye	-17,554.46%	-169.57%	-84.39%
U Power	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for AEye and U Power, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
AEye	0	1	0	0	2.00
U Power	0	0	0	0	0.00

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares AEye and U Power”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
AEye	$202,000.00	48.41	-$87.13 million	($4.71)	-0.11
U Power	$31.06 million	0.32	-$2.72 million	N/A	N/A

U Power has higher revenue and earnings than AEye.

Risk & Volatility

AEye has a beta of 2.75, meaning that its stock price is 175% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, U Power has a beta of 0.65, meaning that its stock price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

21.6% of AEye shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 13.2% of U Power shares are held by institutional investors. 11.9% of AEye shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

About AEye

AEye, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides lidar systems for vehicle autonomy, advanced driver-assistance systems, and robotic vision applications in the United States, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. It offers 4Sight intelligent sensing lidar platform, including 4Sight at Design, Triggered 4Sight, Responsive 4Sight, and Predictive 4Sight; and 4Sight for automotive and industrial market. The company was formerly known as CF Finance Acquisition Corp. III and changed its name to AEye, Inc. in August 2021. AEye, Inc. was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Dublin, California.

About U Power

U Power Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacture, and sale of new energy vehicles and battery swapping stations in the People's Republic of China. It also offers battery swapping and sourcing, as well as technical and consultation services. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Wuhu, the People's Republic of China.