Contrasting Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) and Viper Networks (OTCMKTS:VPER)

Viper Networks (OTCMKTS:VPER) and Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

13.5% of Alibaba Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 12.5% of Alibaba Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Viper Networks and Alibaba Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Viper Networks	$30,000.00	65.64	-$820,000.00	N/A	N/A
Alibaba Group	$961.96 billion	0.21	$11.08 billion	$4.93	16.99

Alibaba Group has higher revenue and earnings than Viper Networks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Viper Networks and Alibaba Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Viper Networks	0	0	0	0	0.00
Alibaba Group	0	2	13	0	2.87

Alibaba Group has a consensus price target of $114.07, indicating a potential upside of 36.22%. Given Alibaba Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Alibaba Group is more favorable than Viper Networks.

Profitability

This table compares Viper Networks and Alibaba Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Viper Networks	N/A	N/A	N/A
Alibaba Group	8.98%	12.28%	7.44%

Volatility & Risk

Viper Networks has a beta of -0.91, meaning that its stock price is 191% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Alibaba Group has a beta of 0.3, meaning that its stock price is 70% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Alibaba Group beats Viper Networks on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Viper Networks

Viper Networks, Inc. manufactures and distributes LED lighting products. The company provides CyberGrab; Vnet, a communication application; Viper unified communications platform for carriers and providers; VRoom; parking lot lightings system; and solar power and telecom systems, as well as intelligent lighting solutions with camera, sensor, and wireless technologies. Its products are used in street, roadway, security, parking lot, and billboard lighting. Viper Networks, Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and is based in Troy, Michigan.

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group Holding Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands, retailers, and other businesses to engage with their users and customers in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company operates through seven segments: China Commerce, International Commerce, Local Consumer Services, Cainiao, Cloud, Digital Media and Entertainment, and Innovation Initiatives and Others. It operates Taobao, a digital retail platform; Tmall, a third-party online and mobile commerce platform; Alimama, a monetization platform; 1688.com and Alibaba.com, which are online wholesale marketplaces; AliExpress, a retail marketplace; Lazada, Trendyol, and Daraz that are e-commerce platforms; Freshippo, a retail platform for groceries and fresh goods; and Tmall Global, an import e-commerce platform. The company also operates Cainiao Network logistic services platform; Ele.me, an on-demand delivery and local services platform; Koubei, a restaurant and local services guide platform; and Fliggy, an online travel platform. In addition, it offers pay-for-performance, in-feed, and display marketing services; and Taobao Ad Network and Exchange, a real-time online bidding marketing exchange. Further, the company provides elastic computing, storage, network, security, database, big data, and IoT services; and hardware, software license, software installation, and application development and maintenance services. Additionally, it operates Youku, an online video platform; Quark, a platform for information search, storage, and consumption; Alibaba Pictures and other content platforms that provide online videos, films, live events, news feeds, literature, music, and others; Amap, a mobile digital map, navigation, and real-time traffic information app; DingTalk, a business efficiency mobile app; and Tmall Genie smart speaker. The company was incorporated in 1999 and is based in Hangzhou, the People's Republic of China.