QuinStreet (NASDAQ:QNST) vs. LightInTheBox (NYSE:LITB) Head-To-Head Comparison

LightInTheBox (NYSE:LITB) and QuinStreet (NASDAQ:QNST) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends and profitability.

Risk & Volatility

LightInTheBox has a beta of 0.21, meaning that its share price is 79% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, QuinStreet has a beta of 0.74, meaning that its share price is 26% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for LightInTheBox and QuinStreet, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LightInTheBox	0	0	0	0	0.00
QuinStreet	0	1	4	0	2.80

QuinStreet has a consensus price target of $29.00, suggesting a potential upside of 76.13%. Given QuinStreet’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe QuinStreet is more favorable than LightInTheBox.

Profitability

This table compares LightInTheBox and QuinStreet’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LightInTheBox	0.63%	-11.29%	2.04%
QuinStreet	-0.06%	1.08%	0.61%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares LightInTheBox and QuinStreet”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LightInTheBox	$255.29 million	0.09	-$2.49 million	$0.10	12.20
QuinStreet	$613.51 million	1.52	-$31.33 million	($0.01)	-1,646.50

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

Insider and Institutional Ownership

56.8% of LightInTheBox shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.8% of QuinStreet shares are owned by institutional investors. 62.2% of LightInTheBox shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.0% of QuinStreet shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

QuinStreet beats LightInTheBox on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LightInTheBox

LightInTheBox Holding Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an online retailer that delivers products directly to its consumers worldwide. The company provides apparel products; and other general merchandise products, such as small accessories and gadgets, home garden, toys and hobbies, electronics and communication devices, and other products. It also offers supplier chain management, research and development, customer, marketing, warehouse management, local delivery, and fulfillment services, as well as engages in the product sourcing, marketing, and operation of its websites and mobile applications. The company provides its products through www.lightinthebox.com and www.ezbuy.sg, and other websites and mobile applications. LightInTheBox Holding Co., Ltd. was founded in 2007 and is based in Singapore.

About QuinStreet

QuinStreet, Inc., an online performance marketing company, provides customer acquisition services for its clients in the United States and internationally. The company offers online marketing services, such as qualified clicks, leads, calls, applications, and customers through its websites or third-party publishers. It serves financial and home services industries. The company was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Foster City, California.