Critical Comparison: Viper Networks (OTCMKTS:VPER) & Lumen Technologies (NYSE:LUMN)

Lumen Technologies (NYSE:LUMN) and Viper Networks (OTCMKTS:VPER) are both utilities companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, valuation, dividends and profitability.

Valuation & Earnings

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

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lumen Technologies	$13.11 billion	0.60	-$55.00 million	($1.65)	-4.66
Viper Networks	$940,000.00	2.89	-$320,000.00	N/A	N/A

Viper Networks has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Lumen Technologies.

Volatility and Risk

Lumen Technologies has a beta of 1.46, meaning that its share price is 46% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Viper Networks has a beta of -2.55, meaning that its share price is 355% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Lumen Technologies and Viper Networks, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lumen Technologies	1	5	1	0	2.00
Viper Networks	0	0	0	0	0.00

Lumen Technologies presently has a consensus price target of $6.72, suggesting a potential downside of 12.67%. Given Lumen Technologies’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Lumen Technologies is more favorable than Viper Networks.

Profitability

This table compares Lumen Technologies and Viper Networks’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lumen Technologies	-13.02%	-158.40%	-0.78%
Viper Networks	-1.21%	N/A	N/A

Insider & Institutional Ownership

66.2% of Lumen Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.3% of Lumen Technologies shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Lumen Technologies beats Viper Networks on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lumen Technologies

Lumen Technologies, Inc., a facilities-based technology and communications company, provides various integrated products and services to business and residential customers in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Business and Mass Markets. It offers dark fiber, edge cloud services, internet protocol, managed security, software-defined wide area networks, secure access service edge, unified communications and collaboration, and optical wavelengths services; ethernet and VPN data networks services; and legacy services to manage cash flow, including time division multiplexing voice, private line, and other legacy services, as well as sells communication equipment, and IT solutions. The company also provides high speed and lower speed broadband service to residential and small business customers; local and long-distance voice services, professional services, and other ancillary services; and federal broadband and state support programs. It serves its products and services under the Lumen, Quantum Fiber, and CenturyLink brands. The company was formerly known as CenturyLink, Inc. and changed its name to Lumen Technologies, Inc. in September 2020. Lumen Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 1968 and is headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana.

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.