Cepton Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Cepton Inc (CPTN) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Cepton Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 18M vs 787M combined for tracked competitors (2.2% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-87.8% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs decelerating (-77.6%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Cepton Inc generated -85.7% revenue growth year over year in Q3 2024, vs 12.2% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its -2,152.1% net margin compares with -80.9% for the peer group.
- Peer revenue share: Cepton Inc accounted for 1.2% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 8.9% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.08M compares with $0.38M for the peer group (0.2x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
CPTN Sales vs. its Competitors, Q3 2024
Cepton Inc reported revenue contraction of 85.73 % year on year in Q3 2024, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 12.20 %.
With a net margin of -2,152.10 %, Cepton Inc reported lower profitability than its competitors (-80.87 %).
Cepton Inc generated 1.23 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 8.90 % a year earlier.
Cepton Inc vs. its Competitors, Q3 2024
Revenue growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Cepton Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Cepton Inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Cepton Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Auto & Truck Parts industry grew revenue 4.6% year over year, combined, vs -85.7% for Cepton Inc. Cepton Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 0.00% to 0.00%, a gain of 0.00 percentage points.
Cepton Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cepton Inc | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (5) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (6) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) | 87.50 % (7 of 8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 14.30 % (1 of 7) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
CPTN Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
CPTN Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
CPTN Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luminar Technologies Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Ouster Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Aeva Technologies Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Hesai Group | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Innoviz Technologies Ltd | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Cepton Inc's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Cepton Inc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Cepton Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Cepton Inc | 52.15 | 17.87 |
| Luminar Technologies Inc | 3,123.20 | 74.87 |
| Ouster Inc | 2,743.04 | 203.58 |
| Hesai Group | 2,288.08 | 432.91 |
| Aeva Technologies Inc | 952.63 | 20.83 |
| Innoviz Technologies Ltd | 74.72 | 55.09 |
| SUBTOTAL | 9,233.82 | 805.14 |
Sources: Cepton Inc's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Cepton Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Cepton Inc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Aeva Technologies, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Innoviz Technologies Ltd. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Ouster, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Hesai Group | Named by the company | 85% |
| Luminar Technologies, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Denso Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
| AEye, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Koito | Named by the company | 85% |
| Valeo S.A. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Bosch LLC | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Cepton Inc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Cepton Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Luminar Technologies Inc | Autonomy Solutions Segment 71.01 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Cepton Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cepton Inc | 52 | 81,236 | -126,645 |
| Luminar Technologies Inc | 3,123 | 294,760 | -919,909 |
| Ouster Inc | 2,743 | 1,060,286 | -277,745 |
| Hesai Group | 2,288 | 394,987 | 56,870 |
| Aeva Technologies Inc | 953 | 87,142 | -135,657 |
| Innoviz Technologies Ltd | 75 | 194,661 | -239,558 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 9,182 | 381,427 | -157,399 |
Cepton Inc's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Cepton Inc | Japan 67.28 % |
| Luminar Technologies Inc | North America 95.52 % |
| Ouster Inc | Americas 68.56 % |
| Hesai Group | Europe 32.34 % |
| Aeva Technologies Inc | EMEA 65.01 % |
| Innoviz Technologies Ltd | EMEA 81.97 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Cepton Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Auto & Truck Parts industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (79 companies). See the full Auto & Truck Parts industry profitability benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 52.55 % | 22.21 % (avg) | +30.3 pp |
| Operating Margin | -180.27 % | industry median | -184.3 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | -131.03 % | -1.10 % (avg) | -129.9 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 0.00 % | 6.94 % (avg) | -6.9 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Cepton Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Auto & Truck Parts industry average (79 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns. See the full Auto & Truck Parts industry valuation benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | - | 22.2x | - |
| EV / EBITDA | - | 13.9x | - |
| P/B | -1.1x | 2.6x | -3.8x |
| Return on Equity | 62.80 % | industry aggregate | 47.95 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | -177.29 % | 1.99 % (avg) | -179.28 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Cepton Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | - | - | - | 75.81 % |
| Operating Margin | - | - | -827.47 % | -388.35 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | - | -1.36 % | -130.01 % | -89.04 % |
| P/E | - | - | - | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Cepton Inc's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Cepton Inc's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Cepton Inc is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Cepton Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Barriers to Entry | Lower than typical for the industry | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 0.00 % vs industry average 6.94 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Cepton Inc's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Cepton Inc's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Cepton Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Cepton Inc falls in the Low attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Cepton Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Return on equity 48.0 points above the industry aggregate.
Weaknesses
- Operating margin 184.3 points below the industry median.
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-87.8% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
- Tracked peer group's revenue run-rate is broadly decelerating (-77.6% annualized).
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Cepton Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cepton Inc | 6.15 | 7.12 | - |
| Luminar Technologies Inc | 0.92 | 2.79 | - |
| Ouster Inc | 1.49 | 3.56 | - |
| Hesai Group | 0.88 | 3.73 | 0.08 |
| Aeva Technologies Inc | 1.71 | 4.85 | 4.72 |
| Innoviz Technologies Ltd | 0.28 | 2.87 | - |
Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Cepton Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cepton Inc | Q3 2024 | -85.7 % | - |
| Luminar Technologies Inc | Q3 2025 | +19.7 % | - |
| Ouster Inc | Q2 2026 | +56.8 % | - |
| Hesai Group | Q4 2025 | +52.3 % | - |
| Aeva Technologies Inc | Q2 2026 | +16.2 % | - |
| Innoviz Technologies Ltd | Q4 2025 | +127.0 % | - |
| PEERS TOTAL | +54.4 % | - |
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Cepton Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cepton Inc | Q3 2024 | -81.2 % | - |
| Luminar Technologies Inc | Q3 2025 | -2.8 % | -79.7 % |
| Ouster Inc | Q2 2026 | +47.1 % | +197.9 % |
| Hesai Group | Q4 2025 | +54.3 % | +189.9 % |
| Aeva Technologies Inc | Q2 2026 | -50.7 % | -86.5 % |
| Innoviz Technologies Ltd | Q4 2025 | +65.9 % | -3.7 % |
Cepton Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cepton Inc | - | - | - |
| Luminar Technologies Inc | - | - | - |
| Ouster Inc | - | - | - |
| Hesai Group | 3.87% | 4.65% | 4.87% |
| Aeva Technologies Inc | - | - | - |
| Innoviz Technologies Ltd | - | - | - |
ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Cepton Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Cepton Inc | - | 2.92 |
| Luminar Technologies Inc | - | 41.72 |
| Ouster Inc | - | 13.47 |
| Hesai Group | 5.24 | 5.29 |
| Aeva Technologies Inc | - | 45.74 |
| Innoviz Technologies Ltd | - | 1.36 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | - | 11.47 |
P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.