Symantec (SYMC) Competitors

Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC) and Fortinet (NASDAQ:FTNT) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and media sentiment.

Do analysts rate SYMC or FTNT?

Fortinet has a consensus target price of $97.03, suggesting a potential upside of 22.12%. Given Fortinet's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Fortinet is more favorable than Symantec.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Symantec	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00
Fortinet	2 Sell rating(s)	25 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.27

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of SYMC or FTNT?

90.3% of Symantec shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.7% of Fortinet shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.9% of Symantec shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 18.0% of Fortinet shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is SYMC or FTNT more profitable?

Fortinet has a net margin of 30.60% compared to Symantec's net margin of 2.43%. Fortinet's return on equity of 111.46% beat Symantec's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Symantec	2.43%	14.94%	5.33%
Fortinet	30.60%	111.46%	18.06%

Does the media favor SYMC or FTNT?

In the previous week, Fortinet had 34 more articles in the media than Symantec. MarketBeat recorded 34 mentions for Fortinet and 0 mentions for Symantec. Fortinet's average media sentiment score of 1.08 beat Symantec's score of 0.00 indicating that Fortinet is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Symantec	Neutral
Fortinet	Positive

Which has more volatility and risk, SYMC or FTNT?

Symantec has a beta of 1.28, suggesting that its share price is 28% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Fortinet has a beta of 1.13, suggesting that its share price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, SYMC or FTNT?

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

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Symantec	$4.73B	3.85	$31M	$1.17	25.19
Fortinet	$6.34B	9.61	$1.75B	$2.51	31.66

Summary

Fortinet beats Symantec on 15 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.