Cogent Communications (CCOI) Competitors

Iridium Communications (NASDAQ:IRDM) and Cogent Communications (NASDAQ:CCOI) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, risk, media sentiment, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Does the media prefer IRDM or CCOI?

In the previous week, Cogent Communications had 20 more articles in the media than Iridium Communications. MarketBeat recorded 26 mentions for Cogent Communications and 6 mentions for Iridium Communications. Iridium Communications' average media sentiment score of 0.71 beat Cogent Communications' score of 0.26 indicating that Iridium Communications is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Iridium Communications	2 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Cogent Communications	7 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	9 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in IRDM or CCOI?

84.4% of Iridium Communications shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.5% of Cogent Communications shares are held by institutional investors. 2.4% of Iridium Communications shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 11.4% of Cogent Communications shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts prefer IRDM or CCOI?

Iridium Communications currently has a consensus target price of $34.33, suggesting a potential upside of 37.28%. Cogent Communications has a consensus target price of $60.83, suggesting a potential upside of 77.62%. Given Cogent Communications' higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Cogent Communications is more favorable than Iridium Communications.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Iridium Communications	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Cogent Communications	1 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.17

Which has more risk and volatility, IRDM or CCOI?

Iridium Communications has a beta of 0.76, meaning that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cogent Communications has a beta of 0.68, meaning that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, IRDM or CCOI?

Iridium Communications has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Cogent Communications. Cogent Communications is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Iridium Communications, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Iridium Communications	$830.68M	3.19	$112.78M	$0.99	25.26
Cogent Communications	$1.04B	1.63	-$204.07M	-$4.54	-7.54

Is IRDM or CCOI more profitable?

Iridium Communications has a net margin of 13.20% compared to Cogent Communications' net margin of -21.57%. Iridium Communications' return on equity of 20.28% beat Cogent Communications' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Iridium Communications	13.20%	20.28%	4.27%
Cogent Communications	-21.57%	-117.56%	-6.78%

Is IRDM or CCOI a better dividend stock?

Iridium Communications pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Cogent Communications pays an annual dividend of $4.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 11.8%. Iridium Communications pays out 56.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Cogent Communications pays out -89.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Iridium Communications has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years and Cogent Communications has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Cogent Communications is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Iridium Communications beats Cogent Communications on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.