ARQ (NASDAQ:ARQ) & Ener-Core (OTCMKTS:ENCR) Head to Head Contrast

ARQ (NASDAQ:ARQ) and Ener-Core (OTCMKTS:ENCR) are both business services companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends and risk.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares ARQ and Ener-Core”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ARQ	$99.18 million	3.14	-$12.25 million	($0.01)	-741.00
Ener-Core	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Ener-Core has lower revenue, but higher earnings than ARQ.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for ARQ and Ener-Core, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ARQ	0	0	2	0	3.00
Ener-Core	0	0	0	0	0.00

ARQ currently has a consensus price target of $10.00, suggesting a potential upside of 34.95%. Given ARQ’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe ARQ is more favorable than Ener-Core.

Profitability

This table compares ARQ and Ener-Core’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ARQ	-0.44%	-0.25%	-0.19%
Ener-Core	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider & Institutional Ownership

18.5% of ARQ shares are held by institutional investors. 26.9% of ARQ shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.8% of Ener-Core shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

ARQ beats Ener-Core on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ARQ

Arq, Inc. produces activated carbon products in North America. The company's products include granular activated carbon, powdered and granular activated carbon, and colloidal carbon products; Arq Powder Wetcake, a fine and low-ash coal waste-derived particle; and additives for air emissions control. Its products are used in various applications, including water treatment, ground water remediation, soil sediments, air emissions, and asphalt additives. The company was formerly known as Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. and changed its name to Arq, Inc. in February 2024. Arq, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

About Ener-Core

Ener-Core, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, license, and market its products that are based on Power Oxidizer technologies. The company's Power Oxidizer technology generates industrial levels of usable heat in a pressure vessel using various organic gases as fuel for an oxidation reaction. Its products include Ener-Core PowerStation EC250 and Ener-Core Powerstation KG2-3GEF/PO, which have applications in landfills, distilleries, and various industrial processes. The company sells its products directly, as well as through distributors in the United States and the Netherlands. Ener-Core, Inc. was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.