Head to Head Contrast: Perion Network (NASDAQ:PERI) & CrowdGather (OTCMKTS:CRWG)

Perion Network (NASDAQ:PERI) and CrowdGather (OTCMKTS:CRWG) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends and risk.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

68.1% of Perion Network shares are held by institutional investors. 2.8% of Perion Network shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 36.4% of CrowdGather shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Perion Network and CrowdGather”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Perion Network	$498.29 million	0.82	$12.61 million	($0.12)	-76.33
CrowdGather	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Perion Network has higher revenue and earnings than CrowdGather.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for Perion Network and CrowdGather, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Perion Network	0	2	3	0	2.60
CrowdGather	0	0	0	0	0.00

Perion Network currently has a consensus price target of $12.38, suggesting a potential upside of 35.10%. Given Perion Network’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Perion Network is more favorable than CrowdGather.

Profitability

This table compares Perion Network and CrowdGather’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Perion Network	-1.12%	2.68%	2.13%
CrowdGather	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Perion Network beats CrowdGather on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Perion Network

Perion Network Ltd. provides digital advertising solutions to brands, agencies, and publishers in North America, Europe, and internationally. It offers Wildfire, a content monetization platform; search monetization solutions, including website monetization, search mediation, and app monetization; and cross-channel digital advertising software as a service platform. The company also provides supply management platform; demand management platform for campaign planning and design; analytics platform, which provides information and performance insights; creative platform, a robust media platform; and an AI platform that uses machine learning to bring intelligence to the various phases of campaigns. In addition, it offers an actionable performance monitoring platform to support the various phases of campaign management; an online video player and integrated ad server to upload, manage, and stream video content; content monetization system, which integrates ads within the content layouts at the page level. Further, the company provides a publisher management system that provides analytics and performance optimization tools, as well as reports; search-demand management systems; monetization products that integrate and onboards demand vendors; and AI Systems. Additionally, it offers Intelligent HUB (iHUB), which connects the supply and demand sides of the marketplace; and strategic optimization of relevant traits (SORT), a provisional patent technology that eliminates the need for cookies. The company was formerly known as IncrediMail Ltd. and changed its name to Perion Network Ltd. in November 2011. Perion Network Ltd. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Holon, Israel.

About CrowdGather

CrowdGather, Inc., a social networking Internet company, develops and hosts forum based Websites primarily in the United States. It monetizes a network of online forums and message boards designed to engage, provide information to, and build community around users. The company's forum community connects a network of people sharing their questions, expertise, and experiences. It also provides targeted advertising and marketing services for online customers. The company's portfolio includes approximately 350 domain names and 70 Web properties at various stages of development. CrowdGather, Inc. is headquartered in Calabasas, California.