Analyzing Benchmark Energy (OTCMKTS:BMRK) and CSG Systems International (NASDAQ:CSGS)

CSG Systems International (NASDAQ:CSGS) and Benchmark Energy (OTCMKTS:BMRK) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for CSG Systems International and Benchmark Energy, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
CSG Systems International	0	1	6	0	2.86
Benchmark Energy	0	0	0	0	0.00

CSG Systems International presently has a consensus target price of $71.71, suggesting a potential upside of 17.97%. Given CSG Systems International’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe CSG Systems International is more favorable than Benchmark Energy.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

91.1% of CSG Systems International shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.1% of CSG Systems International shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares CSG Systems International and Benchmark Energy”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
CSG Systems International	$1.20 billion	1.46	$86.85 million	$3.04	20.00
Benchmark Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

CSG Systems International has higher revenue and earnings than Benchmark Energy.

Profitability

This table compares CSG Systems International and Benchmark Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
CSG Systems International	7.25%	39.42%	7.93%
Benchmark Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility & Risk

CSG Systems International has a beta of 0.85, indicating that its share price is 15% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Benchmark Energy has a beta of 3.86, indicating that its share price is 286% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

CSG Systems International beats Benchmark Energy on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About CSG Systems International

CSG Systems International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides revenue management and digital monetization, customer experience, and payment solutions primarily to the communications industry in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It offers Advanced Convergent Platform, a private SaaS platform; and related solutions, including service technician management, analytics, electronic bill presentment, etc. The company also provides a public SaaS-based revenue management and payments platform. In addition, it offers managed services; and professional services to implement, configure, and maintain its solutions, as well as licenses various solutions, such as mediation, partner management, rating, and charging. Further, the company provides operational services, including infrastructure management comprised of hardware, application, and environmental management; application configuration management, such as configuration development, release, and deployment; and business operations management, which includes event processing, revenue management, and settlement. It serves retail, financial services, healthcare, insurance, and government entities. The company was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

About Benchmark Energy

Benchmark Energy Corporation, through its subsidiary, Energy Partners LLC, buys industrial grade glycerin and sells it to boiler plants as an alternative bunker fuel in the United States and internationally. The company offers crude and refined glycerin, a co-product of biodiesel production used in various industrial and commercial applications, such as power, energy, and boiler operations, as well as in the de-icing process and manufacturing of animal feed. It has a strategic relationship with the University of North Dakota (UND) to utilize industrial grade glycerin as an additive to the UND coal-burning plant. The company is based in Coldspring, Texas.