Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I (BWNB) vs Universal Electronics Inc. (UEIC) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | BWNB | -1.4% revenue growth vs UEIC's -6.1% |
| Quality / Margins | UEIC | -5.6% net margin vs BWNB's -20.1% |
| Stability / Safety | BWNB | Beta 0.50 vs UEIC's 1.12 |
| Dividends | BWNB | 0.8% yield; 1-year raise streak; UEIC pays no meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | BWNB | +28.2% vs UEIC's -51.6% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | UEIC | -7.9% ROA vs BWNB's -16.5%, ROIC -6.0% vs 8.8% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises is an industrial technology company that provides energy generation, emissions control, and environmental solutions to utilities, industrial facilities, and municipalities worldwide. It makes money through three main segments: Thermal (steam generation systems), Environmental (emissions control technologies), and Renewable (waste-to-energy and biomass systems) — with Thermal typically being the largest revenue contributor. The company's key advantage is its century-long expertise in steam generation and emissions control technologies, creating deep customer relationships and technical barriers to entry in specialized industrial markets.
Universal Electronics is a technology company that designs and manufactures universal remote controls, smart home devices, and control systems for consumer electronics and home automation. It generates revenue primarily from selling pre-programmed remote controls to video service providers and OEMs (~60% of sales), integrated circuits with embedded control software (~25%), and cloud services and licensing for its control technology (~15%). The company's key advantage is its extensive universal device control database—covering over 500,000 devices—which creates significant switching costs for customers who rely on its compatibility ecosystem.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
UEIC leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Valuation Metrics). BWNB leads in 2 (Total Returns, Risk & Volatility).
Financial Metrics (TTM)
BWNB and UEIC operate at a comparable scale, with $541M and $391M in trailing revenue. UEIC is the more profitable business, keeping -5.6% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to BWNB's -20.1%. On growth, UEIC holds the edge at -11.3% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | UEICUniversal Electro… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $541M | $391M |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $12M | $4M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$108M | -$22M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$102M | $28M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +26.8% | +28.6% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +0.2% | -3.0% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -20.1% | -5.6% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -18.9% | +7.1% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -29.0% | -11.3% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +4.0% | -2.1% |
Valuation Metrics
On an enterprise value basis, UEIC's 26.6x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than BWNB's 69.2x.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | UEICUniversal Electro… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $2.4B | $50M |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $2.9B | $73M |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -30.45x | -2.04x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | — |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 69.15x | 26.57x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 3.31x | 0.13x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 0.32x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | 7.88x |
Profitability & Efficiency
On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), UEIC scores 6/9 vs BWNB's 3/9, reflecting solid financial health.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | UEICUniversal Electro… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | — | -15.1% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -16.5% | -7.9% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +8.8% | -6.0% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +6.6% | -8.5% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 3 | 6 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.32x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $515M | $23M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $23M | $27M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $538M | $50M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -0.79x | -15.50x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in BWNB five years ago would be worth $12,748 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $622 for UEIC. Over the past 12 months, BWNB leads with a +28.2% total return vs UEIC's -51.6%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors BWNB at 9.5% vs UEIC's -33.3% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | UEICUniversal Electro… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +2.2% | +3.9% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +28.2% | -51.6% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +31.2% | -70.4% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +27.5% | -93.8% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +27.5% | -92.9% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +9.5% | -33.3% |
Risk & Volatility
BWNB is the less volatile stock with a 0.50 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than UEIC's 1.12 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. BWNB currently trades 98.3% from its 52-week high vs UEIC's 46.7% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | UEICUniversal Electro… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.50x | 1.12x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $25.40 | $8.07 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $6.05 | $2.69 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +98.3% | +46.7% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 60.3 | 45.4 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 14K | 59K |
Analyst Outlook
BWNB is the only dividend payer here at 0.81% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | BWNBBabcock & Wilcox … | UEICUniversal Electro… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | — | — |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | — |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | — | — |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | +0.8% | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 1 | 1 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | $0.20 | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | +0.0% | +3.9% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Dec 21 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babcock & Wilcox En… (BWNB) | 100 | 99.64 | -0.4% |
| Universal Electroni… (UEIC) | 100 | 9.62 | -90.4% |
Babcock & Wilcox En… (BWNB) returned +27% over 5 years vs Universal Electroni… (UEIC)'s -94%. A $10,000 investment in BWNB 5 years ago would be worth $12,748 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babcock & Wilcox En… (BWNB) | $1.8B | $717M | -59.2% |
| Universal Electroni… (UEIC) | $603M | $395M | -34.5% |
Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I's revenue grew from $1.8B (2015) to $717M (2024) — a -9.5% CAGR. Universal Electronics Inc.'s revenue grew from $603M (2015) to $395M (2024) — a -4.6% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babcock & Wilcox En… (BWNB) | 1.1% | -8.4% | -866.8% |
| Universal Electroni… (UEIC) | 4.8% | -6.1% | -225.7% |
Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I's net margin went from 1% (2015) to -8% (2024). Universal Electronics Inc.'s net margin went from 5% (2015) to -6% (2024).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 4 Years
| Stock | 2018 | 2021 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Electroni… (UEIC) | 29.7 | 104.5 | +251.9% |
Universal Electronics Inc. has traded in a 19x–201x P/E range over 4 years; current trailing P/E is ~-2x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babcock & Wilcox En… (BWNB) | 1.78 | -0.82 | -146.1% |
| Universal Electroni… (UEIC) | 1.88 | -1.85 | -198.4% |
Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I's EPS grew from $1.78 (2015) to $-0.82 (2024) — a NaN% CAGR. Universal Electronics Inc.'s EPS grew from $1.88 (2015) to $-1.85 (2024) — a NaN% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I generated $-130M FCF in 2024 (-10% vs 2021). Universal Electronics Inc. generated $6M FCF in 2024 (-72% vs 2021).
BWNB vs UEIC: Frequently Asked Questions
6 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Which is the better long-term investment — BWNB or UEIC?
Over the past 5 years, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I (BWNB) delivered a total return of +27.5%, compared to -93.8% for Universal Electronics Inc. (UEIC). A $10,000 investment in BWNB five years ago would be worth approximately $13K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: BWNB returned +27.5% versus UEIC's -92.9%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
02Which is safer — BWNB or UEIC?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I (BWNB) is the lower-risk stock at 0.50β versus Universal Electronics Inc.'s 1.12β — meaning UEIC is approximately 123% more volatile than BWNB relative to the S&P 500.
03Which has better profit margins — BWNB or UEIC?
Universal Electronics Inc. (UEIC) is the more profitable company, earning -6.1% net margin versus -8.4% for Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I — meaning it keeps -6.1% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: BWNB leads at 3.5% versus -3.9% for UEIC. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — UEIC leads at 28.9%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
04Which pays a better dividend — BWNB or UEIC?
In this comparison, BWNB (0.8% yield) pays a dividend. UEIC does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
05Is BWNB or UEIC better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, I (BWNB) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.50), 0.8% yield). Both have compounded well over 10 years (BWNB: +27.5%, UEIC: -92.9%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
06What are the main differences between BWNB and UEIC?
Both stocks operate in the Technology sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. BWNB pays a dividend while UEIC does not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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