Comparing Viscount Systems (OTCMKTS:VSYS) & Universal Electronics (NASDAQ:UEIC)

Viscount Systems (OTCMKTS:VSYS) and Universal Electronics (NASDAQ:UEIC) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability and dividends.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Viscount Systems and Universal Electronics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share 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
Universal Electronics	$394.88 million	0.14	-$24.03 million	($1.67)	-2.44

Viscount Systems has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Universal Electronics.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Viscount Systems and Universal Electronics, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Viscount Systems	0	0	0	0	0.00
Universal Electronics	1	2	0	0	1.67

Universal Electronics has a consensus price target of $5.75, indicating a potential upside of 40.93%. Given Universal Electronics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Universal Electronics is more favorable than Viscount Systems.

Profitability

This table compares Viscount Systems and Universal Electronics’ 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
Universal Electronics	-5.64%	-0.68%	-0.33%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

79.4% of Universal Electronics shares are owned by institutional investors. 91.3% of Viscount Systems shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 10.5% of Universal Electronics shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

Viscount Systems has a beta of -0.32, indicating that its stock price is 132% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Universal Electronics has a beta of 1.4, indicating that its stock price is 40% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Universal Electronics beats Viscount Systems 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 Universal Electronics

Universal Electronics Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, ships, and supports control and sensor technology solutions in the United States, the People’s Republic of China, rest of Asia, Europe, Latin America, and internationally. The company offers voice-enabled automatically-programmed universal two-way radio frequency, as well as infrared remote controls to video service providers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), retailers, and private label customers; wall-mount and handheld thermostat controllers and connected accessories for smart energy management systems to OEM customers, hotels, hospitality, and system integrators; proprietary and standards-based RF sensors for residential security, safety, and home automation applications; and integrated circuits on which its software and universal device control database is embedded to OEMs, video service providers, and private label customers. It also provides software, firmware and technology solutions that can enable devices such as Smart TVs, hybrid set-top boxes, audio systems, smart speakers, game consoles, and other consumer electronic and smart home devices to wirelessly connect and interoperate within home networks; cloud-services that support its embedded software and hardware solutions; intellectual property that the company licenses to OEMs and video service providers; embedded and cloud-enabled software for firmware update provisioning and digital rights management validation services to consumer electronics brands; and AV accessories, including universal remote controls, television wall mounts and stands, and digital television antennas. In addition, the company QuickSet, a software application that can be embedded in entertainment or smart home platform or can be delivered as a cloud-based service, through QuickSet Cloud, to enable universal device setup, interoperability, and control. Universal Electronics Inc. was incorporated in 1986 and is based in Scottsdale, Arizona.