BIO-key International (NASDAQ:BKYI) versus Viscount Systems (OTCMKTS:VSYS) Critical Analysis

Viscount Systems (OTCMKTS:VSYS) and BIO-key International (NASDAQ:BKYI) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation.

Volatility and Risk

Viscount Systems has a beta of -0.49, suggesting that its share price is 149% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BIO-key International has a beta of 0.35, suggesting that its share price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Viscount Systems and BIO-key International, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Viscount Systems	0	0	0	0	0.00
BIO-key International	1	0	0	0	1.00

Given Viscount Systems’ higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Viscount Systems is more favorable than BIO-key International.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Viscount Systems and BIO-key International”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Viscount Systems	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
BIO-key International	$6.93 million	1.16	-$4.30 million	($1.04)	-0.71

Viscount Systems has higher earnings, but lower revenue than BIO-key International.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

26.5% of BIO-key International shares are held by institutional investors. 91.3% of Viscount Systems shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.7% of BIO-key International shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Viscount Systems and BIO-key International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Viscount Systems	N/A	N/A	N/A
BIO-key International	-70.23%	-73.33%	-43.89%

Summary

Viscount Systems beats BIO-key International on 5 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Viscount Systems

Viscount Systems, Inc., through its subsidiary, Viscount Communication and Control Systems Inc., designs, manufactures, and sells access control and security products in North America. It offers intercom and physical access control systems, and emergency communications systems for various applications, including condominium/apartment building access and intercom; residential intercom; gated home/community access and intercom; seniors/government housing access, tracking, and intercom; elevator access and tracking; garage or perimeter gate control; and emergency communications. The company's principal product is the Enterphone intercom and access control system, a patented building entry control system that uses a building's internal phone wiring to allow access control for tenants, and intercom and access control between visitors and tenants. It also manufactures electronic entry access panels that can operate using the Enterphone system or dial-up telephone company lines. In addition, the company offers Enterphone iQ, a solution based on its MESH technology; MESH, a software-based building management system; Freedom, an Internet technology platform; and Liberty, a derivation of the Freedom for the smaller sized system access control market. Viscount Systems, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Burnaby, Canada.

About BIO-key International

BIO-key International, Inc. develops and markets fingerprint identification biometric technology and software solutions, and enterprise-ready identity access management solutions for commercial, government, and education customers in the United States and internationally. The company offers BIO-key PortalGuard and PortalGuard IDaaS solutions, a customer-controlled and neutral-by-design cloud-based identity platform that allows customers to integrate with any cloud or on-premises SaaS application, as well as windows device authentication through IAM platform. Its solutions enable its customers to secure their workforces and student populations; and make their partner networks more collaborative. In addition, it provides BIO-key VST and WEB-key products; and Civil and Large-Scale ID Infrastructure solutions that develops finger-based biometric technology. Further, it offers finger scanners for enterprise and consumer markets under SideSwipe, EcoID, and SidePass brand names. The company was formerly known as SAC Technologies and changed its name to BIO-key International, Inc. in 2002. BIO-key International, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Wall, New Jersey.