Financial Contrast: Yext (NYSE:YEXT) versus AppLovin (NASDAQ:APP)

Yext (NYSE:YEXT) and AppLovin (NASDAQ:APP) are both business services companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation and institutional ownership.

Volatility and Risk

Yext has a beta of 0.96, indicating that its stock price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AppLovin has a beta of 2.5, indicating that its stock price is 150% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Yext and AppLovin”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Yext	$420.96 million	2.22	-$27.95 million	($0.01)	-762.00
AppLovin	$4.71 billion	40.82	$1.58 billion	$8.24	69.02

AppLovin has higher revenue and earnings than Yext. Yext is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AppLovin, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Yext and AppLovin, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Yext	1	2	3	0	2.33
AppLovin	1	4	19	1	2.80

Yext presently has a consensus price target of $9.44, indicating a potential upside of 23.85%. AppLovin has a consensus price target of $706.76, indicating a potential upside of 24.26%. Given AppLovin’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe AppLovin is more favorable than Yext.

Profitability

This table compares Yext and AppLovin’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Yext	5.89%	18.57%	4.74%
AppLovin	51.27%	258.49%	46.62%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

71.0% of Yext shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 41.9% of AppLovin shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.2% of Yext shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 13.7% of AppLovin shares are owned by 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

AppLovin beats Yext on 14 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Yext

Yext, Inc. organizes business facts to provide answers to consumer questions in North America and internationally. It operates Yext platform, a cloud-based platform that allows its customers to offer answers to consumer questions, to control the facts about their businesses and the content of their landing pages, and to manage their consumer reviews; and provides customers to update their information and content through its publisher network of maps, apps, search engines, intelligent GPS systems, digital assistants, vertical directories, and social networks, as well as professional services. The company’s platform also enables its customers to centralize, control and manage data fields, including store information comprising name, address, phone number, and holiday hours; professional information, such as headshot, specialties, and education; job information consists of title and description; FAQs and other information. It serves various industries, such as healthcare, hospitality, food services, retail, and financial services. Yext, Inc. was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

About AppLovin

AppLovin Corporation engages in building a software-based platform for advertisers to enhance the marketing and monetization of their content in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Software Platform and Apps. The company's software solutions include AppDiscovery, a marketing software solution, which matches advertiser demand with publisher supply through auctions; MAX, an in-app bidding software that optimizes the value of a publisher's advertising inventory by running a real-time competitive auction; Adjust, a measurement and analytics marketing platform that provides marketers with the visibility, insights, and tools needed to grow their apps from early stage to maturity; and Wurl, a connected TV platform, which distributes streaming video for content companies and provides advertising and publishing solutions through its AdPool, ContentDiscovery, and Global FAST Pass products. It also offers SparkLabs, which uses app store optimization to enhance ad visibility; AppLovin Exchange, which connects buyers to mobile and CTV devices through a single and direct RTB exchange; and Array, an end-to-end app management suite for mobile operators and end users. In addition, the company operates various free-to-play mobile games. It serves individuals, small and independent businesses, enterprises, advertisers and advertising networks, mobile app publishers, indie studio developers, and internet platforms. AppLovin Corporation was incorporated in 2011 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.