Comparing ICTS International (OTCMKTS:ICTSF) & Global Payments (NYSE:GPN)

ICTS International (OTCMKTS:ICTSF) and Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) are both industrial products companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares ICTS International and Global Payments’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ICTS International	N/A	N/A	N/A
Global Payments	15.54%	12.21%	5.64%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for ICTS International and Global Payments, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ICTS International	0	0	0	0	0.00
Global Payments	1	11	14	0	2.50

Global Payments has a consensus price target of $134.33, indicating a potential upside of 42.68%. Given Global Payments’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Global Payments is more favorable than ICTS International.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

89.8% of Global Payments shares are held by institutional investors. 62.4% of ICTS International shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Global Payments shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares ICTS International and Global Payments”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ICTS International	$431.54 million	0.33	$7.08 million	N/A	N/A
Global Payments	$10.11 billion	2.31	$1.57 billion	$6.18	15.23

Global Payments has higher revenue and earnings than ICTS International.

Risk & Volatility

ICTS International has a beta of 0.87, suggesting that its stock price is 13% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Global Payments has a beta of 1.04, suggesting that its stock price is 4% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Global Payments beats ICTS International on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ICTS International

ICTS International N.V. provides airport security and other aviation services, and authentication technology services in the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, Spain, and internationally. It offers aviation security services, including security screening, behavior detection on crowds and queues, perimeter guarding/ patrolling, CCTV surveillance and/or alarm resolution, and vehicle marshalling. It also provides above wing security services, such as security interviewing, behavior detection, and escort of valuables and weapons; and handling services. In addition, it offers below wing services, comprising ramp and door guarding, interior and exterior searches, catering and bag room guarding, and selectee search; cargo security services, which include cargo screening, explosives detection dogs, access control, and vehicle marshalling services; private charter flight and cargo security screening, catering and aircraft Security Screening, aircraft search, and employee screening services; general security services, which comprise security search and screening, access control, perimeter guarding/patrolling, security host and reception, and CCTV surveillance and/or alarm resolution services; and training/consulting/auditing services. Further, it offers aviation security technology, including New Advanced Passenger Screening, an IT-system that enables pre-departure analysis of passenger information, and X-Check and I-Check that supports airline staff, security or filtering agents with customer processing; SaaS for identity verification and fraud prevention from physical and digital ID documents; and non-security services, such as agent services, guard services, queue monitors, aircraft cleaning, janitorial, skycap passengers luggage, wheelchair attendant, baggage handling, cruise line baggage transfer, VIP meet and greet services, equipment for passengers, and shuttle services to airline crews. The company was founded in 1982 and is based in Schiphol, the Netherlands.

About Global Payments

Global Payments Inc. provides payment technology and software solutions for card, check, and digital-based payments in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through two segments, Merchant Solutions and Issuer Solutions. The Merchant Solutions segment offers authorization, settlement and funding, customer support, chargeback resolution, terminal rental, sales and deployment, payment security, and consolidated billing and reporting services. This segment also provides an array of enterprise software solutions that streamline business operations of its customers in various vertical markets; and value-added solutions and services, such as point-of-sale software, analytics and customer engagement, payroll and reporting, and human capital management. The Issuer Solutions segment offers solutions that enable financial institutions and retailers to manage their card portfolios through a platform; and commercial payments, account payables, and electronic payment alternatives solutions for businesses and governments. It markets its products and services through direct sales force, trade associations, agent and enterprise software providers, referral arrangements with value-added resellers, and independent sales organizations. The company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.