Critical Contrast: Manhattan Associates (NASDAQ:MANH) and SMS Alternatives (OTCMKTS:CICN)

SMS Alternatives (OTCMKTS:CICN) and Manhattan Associates (NASDAQ:MANH) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, profitability, valuation and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares SMS Alternatives and Manhattan Associates’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
SMS Alternatives	N/A	N/A	N/A
Manhattan Associates	20.34%	75.61%	28.35%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for SMS Alternatives and Manhattan Associates, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
SMS Alternatives	0	0	0	0	0.00
Manhattan Associates	0	5	9	0	2.64

Manhattan Associates has a consensus target price of $218.75, indicating a potential upside of 53.30%. Given Manhattan Associates’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Manhattan Associates is more favorable than SMS Alternatives.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

98.5% of Manhattan Associates shares are owned by institutional investors. 89.0% of SMS Alternatives shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Manhattan Associates shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares SMS Alternatives and Manhattan Associates”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
SMS Alternatives	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Manhattan Associates	$1.08 billion	7.90	$219.95 million	$3.60	39.64

Manhattan Associates has higher revenue and earnings than SMS Alternatives.

Summary

Manhattan Associates beats SMS Alternatives on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About SMS Alternatives

SMS Alternatives Inc. provides business integration software solutions in the United States and Europe. The company's software enables organizations to integrate new and existing information and processes at the desktop; and addresses the need for a company's information systems to deliver enterprise-wide views of their business information processes. It offers Cicero Discovery, a configurable tool to collect activity and application performance data, and track business objects across time and multiple users, as well as measure against a defined expected business process flow; and Cicero Insight, a measurement and analytics solution that collects and presents information about quality, productivity, compliance, and revenue from frontline activity to target areas for improvement. The company also provides Cicero Automation that delivers features of the Cicero Discovery product, as well as desktop automation for enterprise contact center and back office employees; integrates applications and automates workflow; and control and adaptability at the end user desktop. In addition, it offers technical support, training, and consulting services. The company sells its products and services directly, as well as through distributors and other intermediaries who resell it to end-users. It serves financial services, insurance, and telecommunications industries; and business process outsourcers, as well as intelligence, security, law enforcement, and other governmental organizations. The company was formerly known as Cicero Inc. and changed its name to SMS Alternatives Inc. in June 2023. SMS Alternatives Inc. was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina.

About Manhattan Associates

Manhattan Associates, Inc. develops, sells, deploys, services, and maintains software solutions to manage supply chains, inventory, and omni-channel operations. It offers Warehouse Management Solution for managing goods and information across the distribution centers; Manhattan Active Warehouse Management, a cloud native and version less application for the associate; and Transportation Management Solution for helping shippers navigate their way through the demands and meet customer service expectations at the lowest possible freight costs; Manhattan SCALE, a portfolio of logistics execution solution; and Manhattan Active Omni, which offers order management, store inventory and fulfillment, POS, and customer engagement tools for enterprises and stores. The company also provides inventory optimization and allocation solutions; technology platform including Manhattan Active Platform solutions, a cloud-native product designed to provide version-less product access; maintenance services, which offers on-premises software licensees with software upgrades for additional or improved functionality and technological advances; and professional services, such as solutions planning and implementation, and related consulting services. In addition, it provides training and change management services; and resells computer hardware, radio frequency terminal networks, radio frequency identification chip readers, bar code printers and scanners, and other peripherals. The company offers products through direct sales personnel and partnership agreements with various organizations. It serves retail, consumer goods, food and grocery, logistics service providers, industrial and wholesale, high technology and electronics, life sciences, and government industries. The company operates in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. Manhattan Associates, Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.