Symantec (SYMC) Competitors

Fortinet (NASDAQ:FTNT) and Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment, risk, valuation and institutional ownership.

Do analysts prefer FTNT or SYMC?

Fortinet currently has a consensus price target of $97.03, suggesting a potential upside of 21.78%. Given Fortinet's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Fortinet is more favorable than Symantec.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Fortinet	2 Sell rating(s)	25 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.27
Symantec	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of FTNT or SYMC?

83.7% of Fortinet shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.3% of Symantec shares are held by institutional investors. 17.2% of Fortinet shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.9% of Symantec shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is FTNT or SYMC more profitable?

Fortinet has a net margin of 30.60% compared to Symantec's net margin of 2.43%. Fortinet's return on equity of 111.46% beat Symantec's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Fortinet	30.60%	111.46%	18.06%
Symantec	2.43%	14.94%	5.33%

Does the media favor FTNT or SYMC?

In the previous week, Fortinet had 43 more articles in the media than Symantec. MarketBeat recorded 43 mentions for Fortinet and 0 mentions for Symantec. Fortinet's average media sentiment score of 1.33 beat Symantec's score of 0.00 indicating that Fortinet is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Fortinet	Positive
Symantec	Neutral

Which has higher valuation and earnings, FTNT or SYMC?

Fortinet has higher revenue and earnings than Symantec. Symantec is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Fortinet, 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
Fortinet	$5.96B	10.25	$1.75B	$2.51	31.75
Symantec	$4.73B	3.88	$31M	$1.17	25.36

Which has more volatility & risk, FTNT or SYMC?

Fortinet has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its share price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Symantec has a beta of 1.28, suggesting that its share price is 28% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Fortinet beats Symantec on 15 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.