CSG Systems International (NASDAQ:CSGS) and Marin Software (NYSE:MRIN) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and earnings.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares CSG Systems International and Marin Software’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| CSG Systems International | $875.06 million | 2.13 | $66.13 million | $2.61 | 21.67 |
| Marin Software | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
CSG Systems International has higher revenue and earnings than Marin Software.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
97.2% of CSG Systems International shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 16.6% of Marin Software shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of CSG Systems International shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 9.7% of Marin Software shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for CSG Systems International and Marin Software, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| CSG Systems International | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Marin Software | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
CSG Systems International presently has a consensus target price of $58.00, suggesting a potential upside of 2.56%. Given CSG Systems International’s higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe CSG Systems International is more favorable than Marin Software.
Dividends
CSG Systems International pays an annual dividend of $0.89 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Marin Software does not pay a dividend. CSG Systems International pays out 34.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.
Profitability
This table compares CSG Systems International and Marin Software’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| CSG Systems International | 8.20% | 26.74% | 8.54% |
| Marin Software | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Summary
CSG Systems International beats Marin Software on 8 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.
CSG Systems International Company Profile
CSG Systems International, Inc. provides business support solutions primarily to the communications industry in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers revenue management and digital monetization solutions, including Advanced Convergent Platform, a pre-integrated hybrid cloud-based platform; and Ascendon, Singleview, Total Service Mediation, and Wholesale Business Management Solution platforms. It also provides customer communications management solutions, such as field force automation, analytics, electronic bill presentment, ACH, etc. for processing voice, SMS/text, print, and email messages; and payment solutions, such as cloud-based integrated suite of products and solutions. In addition, the company offers managed services; and professional services to implement, configure, and maintain its products, as well as licenses products, such as mediation, partner management, rating, and charging. It serves the media, entertainment, government, insurance, and health care industries. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
Marin Software Company Profile
Marin Software Incorporated operates a cross-channel, cross-device, enterprise marketing software platform in the United States and internationally. Its platform allows marketing professionals to manage their digital advertising spend across search, social, and display advertising channels. The company’s platform consists of various modules, including Optimization module that helps advertisers to manage bids across publishers to meet revenue goals and identify opportunities for campaign improvements; Reporting and Analytics module that enables advertisers to report results at a business level and analyze cross-channel performance trends; Campaign Management module, which provides the digital advertiser with an interface to create, manage, and optimize campaigns across various publishers; and Connect module that enables advertisers to automate and streamline the capture of revenue, cost, and audience data from a range of sources, such as advertisement servers, analytics systems, CRM platforms, publishers, and third party databases. It also provides Marin Enterprise that provides digital advertisers to manage large-scale advertising campaigns; Marin Professional that is designed for rapid deployment and offers customers a workflow, analysis, and optimization solution for managing digital advertising; and Perfect Audience for rapid deployment, as well as to implement and optimize campaigns across various networks and across devices. The company markets and sells its solutions to advertisers directly and through advertising agencies that use its platform on behalf of their customers. Marin Software Incorporated was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
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