Head-To-Head Survey: A10 Networks (NYSE:ATEN) and Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK)

A10 Networks (NYSE:ATEN) and Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK) are both technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk and profitability.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares A10 Networks and Autodesk”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
A10 Networks	$290.56 million	6.11	$42.14 million	$0.60	40.77
Autodesk	$7.21 billion	6.15	$1.12 billion	$7.73	27.45

Autodesk has higher revenue and earnings than A10 Networks. Autodesk is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than A10 Networks, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares A10 Networks and Autodesk’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
A10 Networks	13.85%	23.63%	8.09%
Autodesk	21.08%	58.63%	15.10%

Volatility and Risk

A10 Networks has a beta of 1.13, meaning that its share price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Autodesk has a beta of 1.31, meaning that its share price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for A10 Networks and Autodesk, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
A10 Networks	0	5	2	0	2.29
Autodesk	0	6	24	1	2.84

A10 Networks presently has a consensus target price of $30.88, suggesting a potential upside of 26.22%. Autodesk has a consensus target price of $321.19, suggesting a potential upside of 51.36%. Given Autodesk’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Autodesk is more favorable than A10 Networks.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

98.6% of A10 Networks shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.2% of Autodesk shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.2% of A10 Networks shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Autodesk shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Autodesk beats A10 Networks on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About A10 Networks

A10 Networks, Inc. provides networking solutions in the Americas, Japan, rest of Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company offers Thunder Application Delivery Controller that provides advanced server load balancing; Thunder Carrier Grade Networking, which provides standards-compliant address and protocol translation services between varying types of internet protocol addresses; Thunder Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Insight that decrypts SSL-encrypted traffic and forwards it to a third-party security device for deep packet inspection; and Thunder Convergent Firewall, which addresses multiple critical security capabilities in one package. It also provides intelligent management and automation tool comprising harmony controller that provides intelligent management, automation, and analytics for secure application delivery. In addition, the company offers A10 Defend Threat Control, a standalone SaaS platform; A10 Defend Orchestrator provides a centralized point of control for seamless distributed denial of service (DDoS) defense management and execution; A10 Defend Detector, a Netflow, Sflow, IPFIX-based DDoS detector used to easily manage the scale and heterogenous nature of SP networks; and A10 Defend Mitigator, a precision, automated, scalable, and intelligent DDoS mitigation solution. It delivers its solutions in optimized hardware appliances, bare metal software, containerized software, virtual appliances, and cloud-native software forms. The company serves cloud providers; cloud, telecommunications, and multiple system and cable service providers; government organizations; and enterprises in the telecommunications, technology, industrial, government, retail, financial, gaming, and education industries. It markets its products through sales organizations; and distribution channel partners, such as distributors, value added resellers, and system integrators. A10 Networks, Inc. was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. provides 3D design, engineering, and entertainment technology solutions worldwide. The company offers AutoCAD Civil 3D, a surveying, design, analysis, and documentation solution for civil engineering, including land development, transportation, and environmental projects; BuildingConnected, a SaaS preconstruction solution; AutoCAD, a software for professional design, drafting, detailing, and visualization; AutoCAD LT, a drafting and detailing software; computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software for computer numeric control machining, inspection, and modelling for manufacturing; Fusion 360, a 3D CAD, CAM, and computer-aided engineering tool; and Industry Collections tools for professionals in architecture, engineering and construction, product design and manufacturing, and media and entertainment collection industries. It also provides Inventor tools for 3D mechanical design, simulation, analysis, tooling, visualization, and documentation; Vault, a data management software to manage data in one central location, accelerate design processes, and streamline internal/external collaboration; Maya and 3ds Max software products that offer 3D modeling, animation, effects, rendering, and compositing solutions; and ShotGrid, a cloud-based software for review and production tracking in the media and entertainment industry. It sells its products and services to customers directly, as well as through a network of resellers and distributors. Autodesk, Inc. was incorporated in 1982 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.