Head to Head Contrast: Okta (NASDAQ:OKTA) versus ImageWare Systems (OTCMKTS:IWSY)

ImageWare Systems (OTCMKTS:IWSY – Get Rating) and Okta (NASDAQ:OKTA – Get Rating) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation and profitability.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

3.9% of ImageWare Systems shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 73.0% of Okta shares are held by institutional investors. 37.7% of ImageWare Systems shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 7.4% of Okta shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

ImageWare Systems has a beta of 1.96, indicating that its share price is 96% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Okta has a beta of 1.15, indicating that its share price is 15% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for ImageWare Systems and Okta, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ImageWare Systems	0	0	0	0	N/A
Okta	4	11	24	0	2.51

Okta has a consensus target price of $86.71, suggesting a potential upside of 10.63%. Given Okta’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Okta is more favorable than ImageWare Systems.

Profitability

This table compares ImageWare Systems and Okta’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ImageWare Systems	N/A	N/A	N/A
Okta	-43.87%	-12.53%	-7.48%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares ImageWare Systems and Okta’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ImageWare Systems	$3.47 million	0.02	$9.28 million	N/A	N/A
Okta	$1.86 billion	9.58	-$815.00 million	($5.17)	-15.16

ImageWare Systems has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Okta.

Summary

ImageWare Systems beats Okta on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ImageWare Systems

(Get Rating)

ImageWare Systems, Inc. engages in the development of mobile and cloud-based identity management solutions and the provision of patented biometric authentication solutions for the enterprise. Its digital identity solutions include the ImageWare digital identity platform, identity proofing, identity authentication, and identity management. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in San Diego, CA.

About Okta

(Get Rating)

Okta, Inc. engages in the provision of an identity management platform for enterprises. It operates through the United States and International geographical segments. The firm’s products include single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, API access management, authentication, user management, and lifecycle management. The company was founded by Todd McKinnon and J. Frederic Kerrest in 2009 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.