Critical Comparison: ASGN (NYSE:ASGN) versus Taboola.com (NASDAQ:TBLA)

Taboola.com (NASDAQ:TBLA) and ASGN (NYSE:ASGN) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Taboola.com and ASGN’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Taboola.com	1.34%	8.12%	4.92%
ASGN	3.28%	11.42%	5.68%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Taboola.com and ASGN”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Taboola.com	$1.77 billion	0.67	-$3.76 million	$0.08	51.50
ASGN	$4.10 billion	0.52	$175.20 million	$2.97	16.71

ASGN has higher revenue and earnings than Taboola.com. ASGN is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Taboola.com, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

42.9% of Taboola.com shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.4% of ASGN shares are held by institutional investors. 24.7% of Taboola.com shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.4% of ASGN shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Taboola.com has a beta of 1.26, suggesting that its stock price is 26% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ASGN has a beta of 0.86, suggesting that its stock price is 14% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Taboola.com and ASGN, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Taboola.com	0	4	4	0	2.50
ASGN	3	3	2	0	1.88

Taboola.com presently has a consensus price target of $4.75, indicating a potential upside of 15.29%. ASGN has a consensus price target of $51.33, indicating a potential upside of 3.45%. Given Taboola.com’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Taboola.com is more favorable than ASGN.

About Taboola.com

Taboola.com Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, operates an artificial intelligence-based algorithmic engine platform in Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and internationally. It offers Taboola, a platform that partners with websites, devices, and mobile apps to recommend editorial content and advertisements on the open web to users. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

About ASGN

ASGN Incorporated engages in the provision of information technology (IT) services and solutions in the technology, digital, and creative fields for commercial and government sectors in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It operates through two segments: Commercial and Federal Government. The Commercial Segment provides consulting, creative digital marketing, and permanent placement services primarily to enterprise clients. This segment also offers workforce mobilization, modern enterprise, and digital innovation IT consulting services; and cloud, data and analytics, and digital transformation solutions. The Federal Government Segment provides mission-critical solutions to the department of defense, intelligence communities, and federal civilian agencies. This segment offers cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, application and IT modernization, and science and engineering solutions. The company was formerly known as On Assignment, Inc. and changed its name to ASGN Incorporated in April 2018. ASGN Incorporated was founded in 1985 and is based in Glen Allen, Virginia.