Reviewing World Access (OTCMKTS:WAXS) and ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE)

World Access (OTCMKTS:WAXS) and ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, risk, dividends, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares World Access and ESCO Technologies”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
World Access	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
ESCO Technologies	$1.06 billion	3.95	$101.88 million	$4.26	37.94

ESCO Technologies has higher revenue and earnings than World Access.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for World Access and ESCO Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
World Access	0	0	0	0	0.00
ESCO Technologies	0	0	2	0	3.00

ESCO Technologies has a consensus price target of $182.50, indicating a potential upside of 12.90%. Given ESCO Technologies’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe ESCO Technologies is more favorable than World Access.

Profitability

This table compares World Access and ESCO Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
World Access	N/A	N/A	N/A
ESCO Technologies	10.44%	9.91%	6.63%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

95.7% of ESCO Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. 16.4% of World Access shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.7% of ESCO Technologies shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

ESCO Technologies beats World Access on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About World Access

World Access, Inc. operates as a global services company providing solutions in customer care to organizations in the travel, financial, health care, and call center industries. It consists of three full service companies and three specialized services companies. World Access Service Corporation serves companies located in the US and companies that have travelers or employees visiting North America. World Access Canada serves companies located in Canada; and World Access Asia serves companies located in eastern Asia, including Japan. World Access Europe provides members of World Access with logistical and medical support throughout the region. Other companies include World Access Provider Network Services; and World Access Transport Services that manages and coordinates all medical evacuation and repatriation activities for World Access. The company is based in Atlanta, Georgia. In April 2001, the company filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 relief in the United States Bankruptcy Court on behalf of itself and certain of its U.S. subsidiaries.

About ESCO Technologies

ESCO Technologies Inc. produces and supplies engineered products and systems for industrial and commercial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Aerospace & Defense, Utility Solutions Group, and RF Test & Measurement. The Aerospace & Defense segment designs and manufactures filtration products, including hydraulic filter elements and fluid control devices used in commercial aerospace applications; filter mechanisms used in micro-propulsion devices for satellites; and custom designed filters for manned aircraft and submarines. It also designs, develops, and manufactures elastomeric-based signature reduction solutions for U.S. naval vessels; and mission-critical bushings, pins, sleeves, and precision-tolerance machined components for landing gear, rotor heads, engine mounts, flight controls, and actuation systems for the aerospace and defense industries. The Utility Solutions Group segment provides diagnostic testing solutions that enable electric power grid operators to assess the integrity of high-voltage power delivery equipment; and decision support tools for the renewable energy industry, primarily wind and solar. The RF Test & Measurement segment designs and manufactures RF test and secure communication facilities, acoustic test enclosures, RF and magnetically shielded rooms, RF measurement systems, and broadcast and recording studios; and RF absorptive materials, filters, antennas, field probes, test cells, proprietary measurement software, and other test accessories to perform various tests. The company distributes its products through a network of distributors, sales representatives, direct sales teams, and in-house sales personnel. The company was incorporated in 1990 and is based in Saint Louis, Missouri.