Electro Sensors Inc (NASDAQ: ELSE)

Sector: Technology Industry: Scientific & Technical Instruments CIK: 0000351789
Market Cap 13.64 Mn
P/B 0.93
P/E 33.75
P/S 1.39
ROIC (Qtr) 0.21
Div Yield % 0.00
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 9.39
Total Debt (Qtr) 0.00
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.00

About

Electro-Sensors, Inc., often referred to as ELSE, operates in the industrial production monitoring and process control systems industry. The company, which was established in Minnesota in 1968, is renowned for its primary business activities that encompass designing, manufacturing, and selling a range of products that facilitate customers' monitoring and control of their industrial processes. ELSE's main business activities revolve around the creation and sale of products that aid in the optimization of industrial processes, reduction of downtime,...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Operating cash flow of 365000 provides exceptional 60.83x coverage of interest expenses 6000, showing strong debt service capability.
  • Robust free cash flow of 338000 exceeds capital expenditure of 27000 by 12.52x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.
  • Tangible assets of 15.74M provide robust 23.56x coverage of other current liabilities 668000, indicating strong asset backing.
  • Retained earnings of 11.83M provide strong 17.71x coverage of other current liabilities 668000, indicating earnings quality.
  • Free cash flow of 338000 provides exceptional 56.33x coverage of interest expense 6000, showing strong debt service ability.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 365000 barely covers its investment activities of (27000), with a coverage ratio of -13.52, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Investment activities of (27000) provide weak support for R&D spending of 949000, which is -0.03x, suggesting potentially insufficient investment in innovation relative to other capital deployment.
  • The company's operating cash flow of 365000 shows concerning coverage of stock compensation expenses of 186000, with a 1.96 ratio indicating potential earnings quality issues.
  • Operating cash flow of 365000 provides minimal -73x coverage of tax expenses of (5000), suggesting potential tax planning inefficiencies or unsustainable tax positions.
  • Tangible assets of 15.74M provide limited backing for working capital of 13.39M, which is 1.18x, suggesting increased operational risk in market downturns.

Peer comparison

Companies in the Scientific & Technical Instruments
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 GRMN Garmin Ltd 38.77 Bn 24.68 5.58 0.16 Bn
2 KEYS Keysight Technologies, Inc. 34.91 Bn 41.07 6.49 2.78 Bn
3 COHR Coherent Corp. 28.91 Bn 244.51 4.78 3.51 Bn
4 TDY Teledyne Technologies Inc 23.87 Bn 29.19 3.98 2.53 Bn
5 TRMB Trimble Inc. 19.54 Bn 54.65 5.43 1.39 Bn
6 FTV Fortive Corp 18.68 Bn 31.02 3.31 3.31 Bn
7 MKSI Mks Inc 10.78 Bn 38.63 2.81 4.55 Bn
8 CGNX Cognex Corp 6.14 Bn 55.76 6.32 0.08 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 0.22 2.20
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 9.46 9.84
EV to Debt EV to Debt 0.00 22.70
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 8.53 15.74
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 26.56 11.58
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 10.22 24.79
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 0.25 -2.78
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 0.35 6.45
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 0.93 7.12
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 33.75 13.89
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 0.00 -16.40
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 0.00 -7.19
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 0.00 0.31
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 0.00 6.83
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 67.50 -13.61
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) 72.73 -21.70
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 3.17 101.63
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 0.00 1.97
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) -6.80 19.84
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) -15.03 17.31
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) -20.59 20.90
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) -21.76 82.68
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) -7.69 65.55
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) -9.38 32.88
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 8.92 34.27
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.62 0.49
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.00 0.05
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 10.08 2.99
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 13.77 4.83
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.00 0.67
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 67.50 -13.61
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 67.50 -13.61
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 5.10 -296.15
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 4.14 -316.09
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 4.08 -351.37
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 50.70 40.05
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 4.10 -354.10