ATN International (NASDAQ:ATNI – Get Free Report) and Spok (NASDAQ:SPOK – Get Free Report) are both small-cap 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.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
65.5% of ATN International shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 50.8% of Spok shares are held by institutional investors. 5.4% of ATN International shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 7.4% of Spok 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.
Profitability
This table compares ATN International and Spok’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| ATN International | -4.03% | 1.27% | 0.44% |
| Spok | 11.45% | 10.26% | 7.45% |
Valuation and Earnings
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| ATN International | $721.58 million | 0.38 | -$26.43 million | ($2.31) | -7.79 |
| Spok | $137.65 million | 2.64 | $14.97 million | $0.78 | 22.63 |
Spok has lower revenue, but higher earnings than ATN International. ATN International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Spok, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Dividends
ATN International pays an annual dividend of $1.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.1%. Spok pays an annual dividend of $1.25 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.1%. ATN International pays out -47.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Spok pays out 160.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. ATN International has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.
Risk and Volatility
ATN International has a beta of 0.66, indicating that its stock price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Spok has a beta of 0.58, indicating that its stock price is 42% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for ATN International and Spok, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| ATN International | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Spok | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4.00 |
ATN International presently has a consensus price target of $26.00, indicating a potential upside of 44.48%. Spok has a consensus price target of $20.00, indicating a potential upside of 13.28%. Given ATN International’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe ATN International is more favorable than Spok.
Summary
Spok beats ATN International on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.
About ATN International
ATN International, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of digital infrastructure and communications services to residential, business, and government customers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through International Telecom and US Telecom segments. The company offers mobile, data, voice, broadband, and fixed services; handsets and accessories; and wholesale roaming, long distance voice services, and site maintenance services. It also leases critical network infrastructure, including towers and transport facilities; and provides managed information technology services, such as network, application, infrastructure, and hosting services. The company was formerly known as Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. and changed its name to ATN International, Inc. in June 2016. ATN International, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts.
About Spok
Spok Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, Spok, Inc., provides healthcare communication solutions in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East. The company's products and services enhance workflows for clinicians and support administrative compliance. It delivers clinical information to care teams when and where it matters to enhance patient outcomes; and provides GenA Pager, a one-way alphanumeric pager. The company offers subscriptions to one-way or two-way messaging services, as well as alphanumeric pagers that are configurable to support unencrypted or encrypted operation; and ancillary services, such as voicemail, and equipment loss or maintenance protection services, as well as sells devices to resellers who lease or resell them to their subscribers. Its Spok Care Connect suite products for contact centers, clinical alerting and notification, mobile communications and messaging, and public safety notifications. In addition, the company provides professional, software license updates, and product support services, as well as sells third-party equipment. It serves businesses, professionals, management personnel, medical personnel, field sales personnel and service forces, members of the construction industry and construction trades, real estate brokers and developers, sales and services organizations, specialty trade organizations, manufacturing organizations, and government agencies. The company was formerly known as USA Mobility, Inc. and changed its name to Spok Holdings, Inc. in July 2014. Spok Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
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