The9 (NASDAQ:NCTY) versus Opera (NASDAQ:OPRA) Head to Head Review

Opera (NASDAQ:OPRA) and The9 (NASDAQ:NCTY) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, valuation, profitability and institutional ownership.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

10.2% of Opera shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.5% of The9 shares are held by institutional investors. 84.4% of Opera shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 30.8% of The9 shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Opera and The9, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Opera	0	2	3	0	2.60
The9	1	0	0	0	1.00

Opera presently has a consensus price target of $21.50, indicating a potential upside of 8.04%. Given Opera’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Opera is more favorable than The9.

Profitability

This table compares Opera and The9’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Opera	17.72%	8.54%	7.55%
The9	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Opera and The9″s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Opera	$614.83 million	2.90	$108.28 million	$1.26	15.79
The9	$15.43 million	4.98	-$57.55 million	N/A	N/A

Opera has higher revenue and earnings than The9.

Volatility and Risk

Opera has a beta of 1.31, indicating that its share price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, The9 has a beta of 2.12, indicating that its share price is 112% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Opera beats The9 on 10 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Opera

Opera Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides mobile and PC web browsers and related products and services in Norway and internationally. The company offers mobile browser products, such as Opera Mini, Opera browser for Android and iOS, and Opera GX for PCs and Mobile; Opera Touch; PC browsers, including Opera for Computers and Opera GX; Apex Football; Opera VPN Pro; and Opera News, an AI-powered personalized news discovery and aggregation service. It provides Opera Crypto Browser for PCs and mobile; browser-based cashback rewards programs; owns GameMaker Studio, a 2D gaming development platform; and GXC, a gaming portal. In addition, the company operates Opera Ads, an online advertising platform; and offers Web3 and e-commerce services. Opera Limited was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Oslo, Norway. Opera Limited is a subsidiary of Kunlun Tech Limited.

About The9

The9 Limited operates as a cryptocurrency mining business in China, Eastern Europe, Asia, and North America. The company was formerly known as GameNow.net Limited and changed its name to The9 Limited in February 2004. The9 Limited was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People’s Republic of China.