Iridium Communications (IRDM) Competitors

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

Do analysts rate CCOI or IRDM?

Cogent Communications currently has a consensus price target of $46.60, indicating a potential upside of 28.48%. Iridium Communications has a consensus price target of $30.67, indicating a potential upside of 66.71%. Given Iridium Communications' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Iridium Communications is more favorable than Cogent Communications.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cogent Communications	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.40
Iridium Communications	1 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.71

Do institutionals and insiders believe in CCOI or IRDM?

92.5% of Cogent Communications shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 84.4% of Iridium Communications shares are owned by institutional investors. 11.4% of Cogent Communications shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.4% of Iridium Communications shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is CCOI or IRDM a better dividend stock?

Cogent Communications pays an annual dividend of $4.06 per share and has a dividend yield of 11.2%. Iridium Communications pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. Cogent Communications pays out -89.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Iridium Communications pays out 56.6% 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. Cogent Communications has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years and Iridium Communications has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Cogent Communications is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Is CCOI or IRDM 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
Cogent Communications	-21.57%	-117.56%	-6.78%
Iridium Communications	13.20%	20.28%	4.27%

Which has more volatility & risk, CCOI or IRDM?

Cogent Communications has a beta of 0.81, indicating that its share price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Iridium Communications has a beta of 0.78, indicating that its share price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media favor CCOI or IRDM?

In the previous week, Iridium Communications had 8 more articles in the media than Cogent Communications. MarketBeat recorded 22 mentions for Iridium Communications and 14 mentions for Cogent Communications. Cogent Communications' average media sentiment score of 1.11 beat Iridium Communications' score of 0.75 indicating that Cogent Communications is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Cogent Communications	10 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Iridium Communications	9 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	4 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, CCOI or IRDM?

Iridium Communications has lower revenue, but higher earnings 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
Cogent Communications	$1.04B	1.72	-$204.07M	-$4.54	-7.99
Iridium Communications	$830.68M	2.35	$112.78M	$0.99	18.58

Summary

Iridium Communications beats Cogent Communications on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.