BIO-key International, Inc. (NASDAQ:BKYI) Struggles with Capital Utilization Amidst Biometric Innovation

Font: Financial Modeling Prep  • Sep 09, 2025

• BIO-key International, Inc. (NASDAQ:BKYI) has a Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) of -50.67%, indicating poor capital utilization compared to its Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) of 10.09%.
• Similar companies in the sector, including Boxlight Corporation and Safe & Green Holdings Corp., also exhibit negative ROICs, suggesting a common challenge in generating returns above their cost of capital.
• SuperCom Ltd. stands out with a ROIC of 2.63% and a WACC of 7.11%.

BIO-key International, Inc. (NASDAQ:BKYI) specializes in providing biometric authentication solutions to enhance security and identity verification across various industries. Despite its innovative offerings, BIO-key faces challenges in effectively utilizing its capital, as indicated by its financial metrics.

BIO-key's Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) is -50.67%, which is significantly lower than its Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) of 10.09%. This negative ROIC suggests that the company is not generating enough returns to cover its cost of capital. The ROIC to WACC ratio of -5.02 further highlights this inefficiency in capital utilization.

When compared to its peers, BIO-key's performance is not unique. Boxlight Corporation (BOXL) and Safe & Green Holdings Corp. (SGBX) also report negative ROICs of -30.16% and -34.34%, respectively, with WACCs of 20.91% and 22.78%. Their ROIC to WACC ratios of -1.44 and -1.51 indicate similar struggles in generating returns above their cost of capital.

Senmiao Technology Limited (AIHS) and Sintx Technologies, Inc. (SINT) face even greater challenges, with ROICs of -622.64% and -175.44%, respectively. Their ROIC to WACC ratios of -86.80 and -34.06 reflect significant inefficiencies in capital utilization, suggesting that these companies are far from covering their cost of capital.

In contrast, SuperCom Ltd. (SPCB) stands out with a positive ROIC of 2.63% and a WACC of 7.11%. Its ROIC to WACC ratio is 0.37. This positions SuperCom Ltd. as a more effective user of capital, highlighting its potential for growth compared to its peers.