As Business Services companies, Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX) and Apptio Inc. (NASDAQ:APTI) are our subject to contrast. And more specifically their analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, earnings and valuation.
Valuation & Earnings
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Deluxe Corporation | 2.00B | 1.06 | 155.90M | 4.14 | 10.39 |
| Apptio Inc. | N/A | 0.00 | N/A | -1.29 | 0.00 |
Table 1 shows gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation of the two companies.
Profitability
Table 2 provides the return on equity, net margins and return on assets of the two firms.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Deluxe Corporation | 7.80% | 15.1% | 6.9% |
| Apptio Inc. | 0.00% | -17.5% | -6.6% |
Liquidity
Deluxe Corporation’s Current Ratio is 1.3 while its Quick Ratio is 1.1. On the competitive side is, Apptio Inc. which has a 2.3 Current Ratio and a 2.3 Quick Ratio. Apptio Inc. is better positioned to pay off short and long-term obligations compared to Deluxe Corporation.
Dividends
Deluxe Corporation pays out a $1.2 per share dividend on a yearly basis and it also offers 2.54% dividend yield. Apptio Inc. does not pay a dividend.
Analyst Recommendations
Deluxe Corporation and Apptio Inc. Recommendations and Ratings are available in the next table.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Deluxe Corporation | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Apptio Inc. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Deluxe Corporation’s upside potential is 5.57% at a $50 consensus target price.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
Deluxe Corporation and Apptio Inc. has shares held by institutional investors as follows: 93.2% and 77.8%. Insiders held roughly 0.6% of Deluxe Corporation’s shares. On the other hand, insiders held about 11.1% of Apptio Inc.’s shares.
Performance
Here are the Week, Month, Quarter, Half Year, Year and YTD Performance of both pretenders.
| Performance (W) | Performance (M) | Performance (Q) | Performance (HY) | Performance (Y) | Performance (YTD) | |
| Deluxe Corporation | -14.7% | -14.43% | -26.84% | -37.41% | -40.09% | -44.1% |
| Apptio Inc. | -0.81% | 42.13% | -4.2% | 11.13% | 64.78% | 60.93% |
For the past year Deluxe Corporation has -44.1% weaker performance while Apptio Inc. has 60.93% stronger performance.
Summary
Deluxe Corporation beats Apptio Inc. on 10 of the 12 factors.
Deluxe Corporation provides checks, forms, marketing solutions, accessories, and other products and services for small businesses and financial institutions. It operates through three segments: Small Business Services, Financial Services, and Direct Checks. The company provides checks; printed forms, such as deposit tickets, billing forms, work orders, job proposals, purchase orders, invoices, and personnel forms, as well as computer forms and check registers; and accessories and other products comprising envelopes, office supplies, stamps, and labels, as well as checkbook covers. It also offers Web services, which include logo and Web design; hosting and other Web services; search engine optimization; and marketing programs, including email, mobile, and social media, and other self-service marketing solutions. In addition, the company provides fraud protection and security, online and offline payroll services, and electronic checks; and promotional solutions, such as postcards, brochures, retail packaging supplies, apparel, greeting cards, and business cards. Further, it offers financial technology solutions to larger financial institutions, which comprise data-driven marketing solutions, including outsourced marketing campaign targeting and execution; treasury management solutions; and digital enablement solutions, including loyalty and rewards programs. It operates in the United States, Canada, Europe, and North and South America. The company was formerly known as Deluxe Check Printers, Incorporated and changed its name to Deluxe Corporation in 1988. Deluxe Corporation was founded in 1915 and is headquartered in Shoreview, Minnesota.
Apptio, Inc. provides cloud-based technology business management (TBM) solutions to enterprises. Its cloud-based platform and SaaS applications enable IT leaders to analyze, optimize, and plan technology investments, and to benchmark their financial and operational performance against peers. The companyÂ’s TBM solutions consist of adaptive data management, which aggregates, cleanses, and correlates large amounts of customer data from various sources; and standard IT operating model and taxonomy that provides a standard model for how IT costs are captured, categorized, and allocated to IT services and business services. Its solution also comprises visual modeling, which allows users to build and manage the financial and operational model of their IT organization; powerful calculation engine that allows the models to be applied across very large data sets accessible to users through the analytics capabilities included in its applications; intuitive, self-service analytics for IT and business users; and modular applications comprising cost transparency, IT benchmarking, business insights, bill of IT, and IT planning applications. The company operates in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, France, and Singapore. Apptio, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.