5 Clean Technology Stocks With Upside Potential of 60% or More in 2015

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By Lee Jackson Published
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After an incredible year of gains, and a bond market giving absolutely no one any yield incentive, investors are destined to look once again to the equity markets for gains in 2015. Aggressive investors staring at larger multiples in technology and biotech momentum names are caught in a potential no-man’s-land when looking for sectors to shift profits and new capital to. One area that holds huge potential for not only 2015 but far beyond is clean technology.

A new report from Cowen breaks down in detail the metrics and earnings potential for all the major companies in the cleantech universe. We screened the stocks in their research coverage universe for those that were rated Outperform and had the biggest upside to the firm’s posted price targets.

Here are five cleantech stocks rated Outperform with the largest upside at Cowen.

Advanced Emissions Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: ADES) shareholders should be very positive as the company saw some consistent insider buying in the fall. The company supplies activated carbon injection systems for mercury control, dry sorbent injection systems for acid gases and technology services and other offerings in support of its customers’ emissions compliance strategies. Its M-Prove technology, which reduces emissions of mercury and other metals from Powder River Basin coal, is applied directly to coal at power plants or offered through a licensing agreement with Arch Coal for application at their mines.

The Cowen price target for the stock is $35, and the Thomson/First Call consensus price target is $34.75. The stock closed Monday at $22.13 a share. Trading to the Cowen target would be almost a 60% gain.

ALSO READ: SunTrust’s 5 Top Pharmaceutical Stocks for 2015

Maxwell Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: MXWL) makes the Cowen list in the next-generation transportation arena. The company is a leading supplier of innovative ultracapacitor solutions targeted at automotive, wind, heavy-duty transportation, rail, consumer electronics, industrial motive power and utility metering applications. Maxwell has solid opportunities in China with sales for regenerative braking systems for municipal buses.

Cowen has a price target $15, while the consensus target is higher at $16. The shares closed trading on Monday at $9.43. Hitting the Cowen target would be a 60% gain for shareholders.

Silver Spring Networks Inc. (NYSE: SSNI) is a smart grid firm and is one of the leading providers of IP-based secure networking platform that also provides suite of solutions to utilities. Silver Springs has had a tough couple of quarters on regulatory delays with a key customer, and the culmination of multiyear deployments at PG&E, BG&E and Florida Power & Light. Yet the Cowen analysts remain very positive on the company’s industry-leading 30% share of utility networking equipment.

The Cowen price target of $13 is higher than the consensus target of $11.50. The stock closed trading on Monday at $8.10. Once again, hitting the target would be a 60% gain for investors.

ALSO READ: 5 Top Tech Stocks for 2015 With Potential Big Catalysts

SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) offers solar power products, including panels, balance of system components and inverters. It also designs, manufactures and sells high-performance rooftop and ground-mounted solar power systems, as well as utility-scale photovoltaic power plants. In addition, the company offers operations and maintenance services, including remote monitoring, preventative and corrective maintenance services, as well as rapid-response outage restoration and inverter repair services.

The Cowen price objective is $46, and the consensus target is $38.87. The stock closed trading on Monday at $26.13. Trading up to the Cowen target would be a 75% gain for investors.

SunEdison Inc. (NYSE: SUNE) manufactures solar technology and develops, finances, installs and operates distributed solar power plants, delivering predictably priced electricity and services to its residential, commercial, government and utility customers. SunEdison also provides 24/7 asset management, monitoring and reporting services for hundreds of solar systems worldwide via the company’s Renewable Operation Center. SunEdison and its yieldco company TerraForm Power signed a definitive agreement in November to acquire First Wind for a total sum of $2.4 billion. Of this, SunEdison will pay $1.5 billion, while TerraForm will pay $862 million. The combined entity becomes one of the largest clean energy companies in the world.

The Cowen price target is $33, while the consensus target is posted at $28.77. The stock closed Monday at $19.80. Hitting the Cowen target would be a 65% gain.

ALSO READ: The Best Performing Biotech Stocks of 2014 Had 300% Gains!

Given environmental and other global concerns, cleantech has moved way past the cottage/green activist level. Many companies are using multiple types of cleantech to reduce carbon footprints and improve cost savings. With an incredible upside for long-term, aggressive investors, the right stock pick now could provide big portfolio gains in the future.

Photo of Lee Jackson
About the Author Lee Jackson →

Lee Jackson has covered Wall Street analysts' equity and debt research and equity strategy daily for 24/7 Wall St. since 2012. His broad and diverse career, which included a stint as the creative services director at the NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas, gives him unique insight into the financial industry and world.

Lee Jackson's journey in the financial industry spans over 30 years, with nearly two decades as an institutional equity salesperson at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Morgan Stanley. His career was marked by his presence on the sell side during pivotal Wall Street events, from the dot.com rise and bubble to the Long Term Capital Management debacle, 9/11, and the Great Recession of 2008. This is a testament to his resilience and adaptability in the face of market volatility.

Lee Jackson’s practical financial industry experience, acquired from a career at some of the biggest banks and brokerage firms, is complemented by a lifetime of writing on various platforms. This unique combination allows him to shed light on the intricacies and workings of Wall Street in a way that only someone with deep insider experience and knowledge can. Moreover, his extensive network across Wall Street continues to provide direct access for him and 24/7 Wall St., a privilege few firms enjoy.

Since 2012, Jackson’s work for 24/7 Wall St. has been featured in Barron’s, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Business Insider, TradingView, Real Money, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Benzinga, and other media outlets. He attended the prestigious Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and has a degree in broadcasting from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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