Sprout Social (NASDAQ:SPT) versus Viewtran Group (OTCMKTS:VIEWF) Critical Review

Viewtran Group (OTCMKTS:VIEWF) and Sprout Social (NASDAQ:SPT) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, earnings, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Viewtran Group and Sprout Social, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Viewtran Group	0	0	0	0	0.00
Sprout Social	1	6	6	0	2.38

Sprout Social has a consensus price target of $25.82, indicating a potential upside of 168.66%. Given Sprout Social’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Sprout Social is more favorable than Viewtran Group.

Profitability

This table compares Viewtran Group and Sprout Social’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Viewtran Group	N/A	N/A	N/A
Sprout Social	-10.59%	-18.93%	-7.76%

Volatility and Risk

Viewtran Group has a beta of -2.97, suggesting that its share price is 397% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Sprout Social has a beta of 0.88, suggesting that its share price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Viewtran Group and Sprout Social”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Viewtran Group	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Sprout Social	$405.91 million	1.40	-$61.97 million	($0.81)	-11.86

Viewtran Group has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Sprout Social.

Summary

Sprout Social beats Viewtran Group on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Viewtran Group

Viewtran Group, Inc. provides supply chain financial services and enterprise solutions for the technology industry in China. It offers software development and technical deployment services; and hardware, software, and technical services. The company was formerly known as Cogo Group, Inc. and changed its name to Viewtran Group, Inc. in November 2013. Viewtran Group, Inc. is based in Shenzhen, China.

About Sprout Social

Sprout Social, Inc. designs, develops, and operates a web-based social media management platform in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company provides cloud software for social messaging, data and workflows in a unified system of record, intelligence, and action. It offers integrated tools, such as social engagement/response; publishing; reporting and analytics; social listening and business intelligence; reputation management; social commerce; employee advocacy; and automation and workflows. In addition, the company provides smart inbox, social customer relationship management, social monitoring and alerts, customer service tools, and automation; and centralized content planning, creation, and publishing, automated scheduling, content performance reporting, suggested content, message approval workflows, publishing permissions and governance, and content and asset libraries. Further, it offers social media; content performance, customer service and team, custom report builder, and reporting API; and market research, brand health, competitive insights, consumer trends, and product feedback; and social commerce, reputation management, employee advocacy, mobile applications, and chat bot creation and management. Additionally, the company offers professional services consisting of consulting and training services. It serves social and community management; public relations; marketing; influencer marketing; customer service and care; commerce, sales and customer acquisition; recruiting and hiring, product development, and business strategy; and small-and-medium-sized businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises, marketing agencies, government, non-profit, and educational institutions. Sprout Social, Inc. was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.