Critical Review: Mail Ru Group (OTCMKTS:MLRYY) & LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN)

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) and Mail Ru Group (OTCMKTS:MLRYY) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares LivePerson and Mail Ru Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LivePerson	-51.72%	N/A	-7.71%
Mail Ru Group	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares LivePerson and Mail Ru Group”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LivePerson	$312.47 million	0.16	-$134.27 million	($27.95)	-0.15
Mail Ru Group	$1.58 billion	N/A	-$401.22 million	($0.98)	-0.92

LivePerson has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Mail Ru Group. Mail Ru Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than LivePerson, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for LivePerson and Mail Ru Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LivePerson	1	1	0	0	1.50
Mail Ru Group	0	0	0	0	0.00

Institutional & Insider Ownership

79.8% of LivePerson shares are held by institutional investors. 2.0% of LivePerson shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

LivePerson has a beta of 1.42, suggesting that its stock price is 42% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Mail Ru Group has a beta of 0.38, suggesting that its stock price is 62% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

LivePerson beats Mail Ru Group on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LivePerson

LivePerson, Inc. engages in conversational artificial intelligence. It enables brands to leverage the Conversational Cloud's intelligence engine to connect with consumers through an integrated suite of mobile and online business messaging technologies. The company offers the Conversational Cloud, an enterprise-class digital customer conversation platform, which enables businesses and consumers to connect through conversational channels, such as voice, in-app, and mobile messaging. It also provides professional services; LivePerson's Conversational AI, including conversation builder, manager, and intelligence, and intent manager. In addition, it provides Voice AI, conversational intelligence and insights, and integration services. The company sells its products to Fortune 500 companies, Internet businesses, online merchants, automotive dealers, educational institution, public sector, and not-for-profit organizations. It operates in the United States, Canada, Latin America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the United Kingdom, and the Asia-Pacific. LivePerson, Inc. was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

About Mail Ru Group

VK International Public Joint-Stock Company operates as a technology company in Russia and internationally. It operates through Social Platforms and Media Content, EdTech, Technologies for Business, and Ecosystem Services and Other Business Lines segments. The company’s projects include social networks, games, education, goods and services, productivity, devices, media and entertainment, app stores, messengers, social services, and ecosystem services. It also provides marketing and advertising, communications and productivity, cloud data, analytics, authorization and registration, finances, HR, and social projects solutions for businesses; cloud platforms and data management, corporate communication services, tax monitoring platform, and other corporate software solutions; and business digitizing solutions, which range from online promotion to cloud services. It enables users to communicate, play, listen to music, watch, and create videos, and receive professional training and skills. The company was formerly known as VK Company Limited and changed its name to VK International Public Joint-Stock Company in August 2023. VK International Public Joint-Stock Company was founded in 1998 and is based in Kaliningrad, Russia.