Integral Ad Science (IAS) Competitors

Vertex (NASDAQ:VERX) and Integral Ad Science (NASDAQ:IAS) are both computer software companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, risk and media sentiment.

Do institutionals & insiders believe in VERX or IAS?

70.3% of Vertex shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.8% of Integral Ad Science shares are owned by institutional investors. 43.3% of Vertex shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.0% of Integral Ad Science shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Does the media prefer VERX or IAS?

In the previous week, Integral Ad Science had 5 more articles in the media than Vertex. MarketBeat recorded 11 mentions for Integral Ad Science and 6 mentions for Vertex. Vertex's average media sentiment score of 1.50 beat Integral Ad Science's score of 0.77 indicating that Vertex is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Vertex	4 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Integral Ad Science	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher earnings & valuation, VERX or IAS?

Integral Ad Science has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Vertex. Vertex is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Integral Ad Science, 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
Vertex	$666.78M	8.64	-$52.73M	-$0.29	-125.37
Integral Ad Science	$549.64M	2.38	$37.79M	$0.29	27.29

Do analysts recommend VERX or IAS?

Vertex currently has a consensus price target of $50.50, indicating a potential upside of 38.90%. Integral Ad Science has a consensus price target of $13.55, indicating a potential upside of 71.19%. Given Integral Ad Science's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Integral Ad Science is more favorable than Vertex.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vertex	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.79
Integral Ad Science	0 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Which has more risk and volatility, VERX or IAS?

Vertex has a beta of 0.71, suggesting that its share price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Integral Ad Science has a beta of 1.57, suggesting that its share price is 57% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is VERX or IAS more profitable?

Integral Ad Science has a net margin of 8.56% compared to Vertex's net margin of -6.45%. Vertex's return on equity of 28.14% beat Integral Ad Science's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vertex	-6.45%	28.14%	5.41%
Integral Ad Science	8.56%	4.74%	4.12%

Summary

Vertex beats Integral Ad Science on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.