ESS Tech Inc (GWH) is not a good buy right now for a beginner long-term investor with $50,000-$100,000 to deploy. The stock is trading near $1.13 in pre-market and has a slight positive move, but the broader setup is weak: the trend is still bearish, the latest quarter showed a severe revenue collapse, and analysts have lowered price targets despite keeping a Buy rating. There is a positive partnership catalyst with Alsym Energy, but it is not enough to override the weak financial performance and lack of strong proprietary buy signals. If you are impatient and want an immediate decision, this is not an attractive long-term entry today.
The technical picture remains weak. MACD is slightly positive but contracting, which suggests the short-term bounce is losing momentum. RSI_6 at 39.7 is neutral-to-weak and does not indicate strong buying pressure. The moving average structure is bearish, with SMA_200 above SMA_20 above SMA_5, confirming a downtrend. Price is hovering around the pivot at 1.12, with near-term resistance at 1.197 and support at 1.044. That means upside is limited in the immediate term while downside risk remains close. The similar-pattern trend data also leans negative over the next week and month.

["ESS partnered with Alsym Energy to introduce sodium-ion battery solutions, adding 8.5 GWh of sodium-ion cells to its storage portfolio.", "Pre-market price is up 2.73%, showing some short-term speculative interest.", "Roth Capital still keeps a Buy rating on the stock."]
["Roth Capital lowered its price target to $2.50 from $3.50 after weaker-than-expected results.", "Revenue in 2025/Q4 dropped 99.16% year over year to 24,000, indicating extreme business weakness in the latest quarter season.", "EPS fell to -1.2 and net income remained deeply negative at -23.98 million.", "Bearish moving averages indicate the stock is still in a downtrend.", "No recent insider buying, hedge-fund accumulation, or congress trading support is visible.", "No AI Stock Picker or SwingMax signal is present today."]
In 2025/Q4, ESS Tech's financial performance was very weak. Revenue collapsed 99.16% year over year to 24,000, showing a major slowdown in business activity for the latest quarter season. EPS dropped to -1.2, and net income stayed deeply negative at -23.98 million, indicating ongoing losses. Gross margin remained extremely negative, which reflects substantial operating and production pressure. Overall, the latest quarter does not support a long-term buy case yet.
Recent analyst tone is cautiously positive but weakening. Roth Capital kept a Buy rating, but cut the price target from $3.50 to $2.50 after weaker-than-expected results and higher operating expenses. The analyst also reduced 2026-2027 revenue estimates due to project timing uncertainty and possible delays in Salt River Project contribution. Wall Street’s pros view is that there is still upside potential if execution improves, but the cons view is stronger right now: poor financial results, lowered estimates, and uncertainty around growth timing.