Critical Contrast: Senmiao Technology (NASDAQ:AIHS) and Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT)

Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT) and Senmiao Technology (NASDAQ:AIHS) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, profitability, dividends, valuation and institutional ownership.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

83.1% of Lyft shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.4% of Senmiao Technology shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.1% of Lyft shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.3% of Senmiao Technology shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Lyft and Senmiao Technology”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lyft	$5.79 billion	1.15	$22.78 million	$0.38	43.71
Senmiao Technology	$3.39 million	1.10	-$3.72 million	($1.08)	-1.07

Lyft has higher revenue and earnings than Senmiao Technology. Senmiao Technology is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Lyft, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations for Lyft and Senmiao Technology, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lyft	2	22	10	0	2.24
Senmiao Technology	1	0	0	0	1.00

Lyft currently has a consensus target price of $22.76, suggesting a potential upside of 37.01%. Given Lyft’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Lyft is more favorable than Senmiao Technology.

Risk and Volatility

Lyft has a beta of 1.93, indicating that its stock price is 93% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Senmiao Technology has a beta of 1.05, indicating that its stock price is 5% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Lyft and Senmiao Technology’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lyft	2.40%	18.29%	2.38%
Senmiao Technology	-88.60%	-454.33%	-55.52%

Summary

Lyft beats Senmiao Technology on 14 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lyft

Lyft, Inc. operates a peer-to-peer marketplace for on-demand ridesharing in the United States and Canada. It operates multimodal transportation networks that offer access to various transportation options through the Lyft platform and mobile-based applications. The company's platform provides a ridesharing marketplace, which connects drivers with riders; Express Drive, a car rental program for drivers; and a network of shared bikes and scooters in various cities to address the needs of riders for short trips. It also offers centralized tools and enterprise transportation solutions, such as concierge transportation solutions for organizations; Lyft Pink subscription plans; Lyft Pass commuter programs; first-mile and last-mile services; and university safe rides programs. The company was formerly known as Zimride, Inc. and changed its name to Lyft, Inc. in April 2013. Lyft, Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

About Senmiao Technology

Senmiao Technology Limited engages in the automobile transaction and related services business in the People's Republic of China. It operates through two segments, Automobile Transaction and Related Services, and Online Ride-Hailing Platform Services. The company offers car rental services to individual customers; and auto finance solutions through financing leases. It also engages in automobile sales comprising sale of new purchased or used cars; and the provision of supporting services, as well as auto management and guarantee services provided to online ride-hailing drivers. In addition, the company provides new energy vehicles leasing, automobile purchase, and management services, such as ride-hailing driver training, assisting with a series of administrative procedures, and other consulting services, as well as credit assessment, preparation of financing application materials, assistance with closing of financing transactions, license and plate registration, payment of taxes and fees, purchase of insurance, installation of GPS devices, ride-hailing driver qualification, and other administrative procedures. Further, it operates Xixingtianxia, an online ride-hailing platform that enables qualified ride-hailing drivers to provide transportation services mainly in Chengdu, Changsha, Guangzhou, and other 23 cities in China. The company was founded in 2014 and is based in Chengdu, the People's Republic of China.