Global Digital Solutions (OTCMKTS:GDSI) & Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) Critical Review

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) and Global Digital Solutions (OTCMKTS:GDSI) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Ziff Davis and Global Digital Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ziff Davis	3.26%	13.06%	6.65%
Global Digital Solutions	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

99.8% of Ziff Davis shares are held by institutional investors. 2.2% of Ziff Davis shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Global Digital Solutions shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Ziff Davis and Global Digital Solutions”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ziff Davis	$1.45 billion	1.10	$47.35 million	$1.10	38.47
Global Digital Solutions	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Ziff Davis has higher revenue and earnings than Global Digital Solutions.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Ziff Davis and Global Digital Solutions, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ziff Davis	1	5	3	0	2.22
Global Digital Solutions	0	0	0	0	0.00

Ziff Davis currently has a consensus target price of $41.13, indicating a potential downside of 2.82%. Given Global Digital Solutions’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Global Digital Solutions is more favorable than Ziff Davis.

Summary

Ziff Davis beats Global Digital Solutions on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ziff Davis

Ziff Davis, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media and internet company in the United States and internationally. The company offers PCMag, an online resource for laboratory-based product reviews, technology news, buying guides, and research papers; Mashable for publishing technology and culture content; Spiceworks Ziff Davis provides digital content of IT products and services; retailMeNot, a savings destination platform; Offers.com, a coupon and deals website; and event-based properties, including BlackFriday.com, TheBlackFriday.com, BestBlackFriday.com, and DealsofAmerica.com. It also offers gaming and entertainment content under the IGN Entertainment and Humble Bundle brands; and information on internet connectivity under the Ookla, Ekahau, Downdetector, and RootMetrics brands. The company also offers digital content and information services for health and wellness consumers under the Everyday Health, DailyOM, Lose It!, Diabetes Daily, Castle Connolly, and Migraine Again brands; pregnancy and parenting content under the BabyCenter, Emma's Diary, and What to Expect brands; and Medpage Today that delivers medical news. In addition, the company offers PRIME Education, a medical education program for healthcare professionals; and Health eCareers, a digital portal for healthcare professionals. Further, it provides endpoint and email security, security awareness training, secure backup and file sharing, and virtual private network solutions under the IPVanish, VIPRE, Livedrive, Inspired eLearning, and SugarSync brands; and email marketing and delivery solutions, search engine optimization tools, and voice and text communication services under the Campaigner, iContact, SMTP, Kickbox, MOZ Pro, MOZ Local, Stat Analytics, eVoice, and Line2 brands. The company was formerly known as j2 Global, Inc. and changed its name to Ziff Davis, Inc. in October 2021. Ziff Davis, Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

About Global Digital Solutions

Global Digital Solutions, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, focuses on the cyber arms technology and security and technology solutions business. The company is based in West Palm Beach, Florida.