Reviewing Itex (OTCMKTS:ITEX) & Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN)

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) and Itex (OTCMKTS:ITEX) are both small-cap business services companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, earnings and risk.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Willdan Group and Itex”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Willdan Group	$651.93 million	2.28	$22.57 million	$2.78	36.31
Itex	$5.44 million	0.87	$500,000.00	N/A	N/A

Willdan Group has higher revenue and earnings than Itex.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

72.3% of Willdan Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 8.6% of Willdan Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 32.0% of Itex shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Willdan Group and Itex’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Willdan Group	5.60%	18.60%	9.65%
Itex	N/A	N/A	N/A

Risk & Volatility

Willdan Group has a beta of 1.26, suggesting that its share price is 26% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Itex has a beta of 0.23, suggesting that its share price is 77% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Willdan Group and Itex, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Willdan Group	0	0	3	1	3.25
Itex	0	0	0	0	0.00

Willdan Group currently has a consensus target price of $111.50, indicating a potential upside of 10.47%. Given Willdan Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Willdan Group is more favorable than Itex.

Summary

Willdan Group beats Itex on 12 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Willdan Group

Willdan Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides professional, technical, and consulting services primarily in the United States. It operates in two segments, Energy, and Engineering and Consulting. The Energy segment offers comprehensive audit and surveys, program design and implementation, master planning, demand reduction, grid optimization, benchmarking analyses, design engineering, construction management, performance contracting, installation, alternative financing, measurement and verification services, and software and data analytics, as well as energy consulting and engineering, turnkey facility and infrastructure projects, and customer support services. The Engineering and Consulting segment provides building and safety, city engineering and code enforcement, development plan review and inspection, disaster recovery, geotechnical and earthquake engineering, planning and surveying, contract staff support, program and construction management, structural engineering, transportation and traffic engineering, and water resources services. This segment also offers district administration, financial consulting, and federal compliance services. It serves public and governmental agencies, including cities, counties, redevelopment agencies, water districts, school districts, and universities; investor and municipal owned energy utilities; state and federal agencies; and commercial and industrial firms, as well as various other special districts and agencies. The company was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Anaheim, California.

About Itex

ITEX Corporation operates a marketplace in which products and services are exchanged by marketplace members without exchanging cash in the United States. The company’s marketplace provides a forum for members to purchase from and sell their products and services to other members using ITEX dollars instead of United States dollars. It also administers the marketplace, as well as provides record-keeping and payment transaction processing services. In addition, the company services its member businesses through its independent licensed brokers and franchise network. ITEX Corporation was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.