Contrasting Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) and Pulse Network (OTCMKTS:TPNI)

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

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Pulse Network	N/A	N/A	N/A
Willdan Group	6.37%	20.23%	10.79%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings for Pulse Network and Willdan Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

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

Willdan Group has a consensus price target of $111.50, indicating a potential upside of 7.45%. Given Willdan Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Willdan Group is more favorable than Pulse Network.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

72.3% of Willdan Group shares are held by institutional investors. 90.9% of Pulse Network shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 8.6% of Willdan Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Pulse Network and Willdan Group”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Pulse Network	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Willdan Group	$565.80 million	2.71	$22.57 million	$2.78	37.33

Willdan Group has higher revenue and earnings than Pulse Network.

Risk and Volatility

Pulse Network has a beta of 2.81, indicating that its stock price is 181% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Willdan Group has a beta of 0.97, indicating that its stock price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Willdan Group beats Pulse Network on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Pulse Network

The Pulse Network, Inc. provides a cloud-based platform that focuses on content marketing and event solutions in the United States. It operates a cloud-based content marketing platform, which enables corporate marketers and event groups in their campaign efforts. The company’s platform includes Content Marketing Platform that provides newsletters for outreach and engagement; Digital Publication Platform Creator, which develops digital publications; Video Webcast Production Platform that engages the audience with live video production, and enhances participation with live polls and chats; and Event Management Platform, which creates interactive customer experiences through registration and online engagement. Its platform also enhances registration counts through engagement and social sharing, and verification counts through connecting with the audience. In addition, the company offers ICTG platform, a marketing and follow up automation software; event management solution, an end-to-end tool for event groups worldwide; and HostMyLeads.com for lead management, as well as event technology, registration, lead generation, Web, and lead management program services for businesses, event organizers, and associations to engage with their community across channels, such as online, mobile, or face to face. Further, it provides Event Database Solutions comprising a multi-channel software-as-a-service platform for marketing support, registration, housing, management reporting, lead retrieval, online production, event Websites, and continuing education unit tracking, as well as services for marketing and event management. Additionally, the company offers content marketing tools that include syndication and distribution, social sharing, newsletter creation, analytics and reporting, prospect management, and other tools, as well as a content curation tool, which support the cloud-based platform. The Pulse Network, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is based in Norwood, Massachusetts.

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.