Head-To-Head Comparison: Kelly Services (NASDAQ:KELYA) versus Red Violet (NASDAQ:RDVT)

Red Violet (NASDAQ:RDVT) and Kelly Services (NASDAQ:KELYA) are both small-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, valuation, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership and dividends.

Volatility & Risk

Red Violet has a beta of 1.73, meaning that its stock price is 73% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kelly Services has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Red Violet and Kelly Services”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Red Violet	$90.25 million	14.15	$13.15 million	$1.12	71.05
Kelly Services	$4.25 billion	0.13	-$254.10 million	($7.81)	-2.09

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

Profitability

This table compares Red Violet and Kelly Services’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Red Violet	16.54%	16.12%	14.77%
Kelly Services	-6.73%	2.69%	1.19%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

63.6% of Red Violet shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.3% of Kelly Services shares are held by institutional investors. 8.9% of Red Violet shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 5.4% of Kelly Services shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Red Violet and Kelly Services, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Red Violet	0	1	5	0	2.83
Kelly Services	1	1	1	0	2.00

Red Violet currently has a consensus target price of $83.50, indicating a potential upside of 4.93%. Kelly Services has a consensus target price of $20.00, indicating a potential upside of 22.25%. Given Kelly Services’ higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Kelly Services is more favorable than Red Violet.

Summary

Red Violet beats Kelly Services on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Red Violet

Red Violet, Inc., a software and services company, specializes in proprietary technologies and applying analytical capabilities to deliver identity intelligence in the United States. It offers idiCORE, an investigative solution used to address various organizational challenges, which include due diligence, risk mitigation, identity authentication, fraud detection and prevention, customer acquisition, and regulatory compliance; and FOREWARN, an app-based solution that provides instant knowledge before face-to-face engagement with a consumer, as well as helps professionals to identify and mitigate risk. The company serves financial services, insurance, healthcare, retail, telecommunication companies, law enforcement and government agencies, collections, law, corporate security, and investigative firms. It markets its products and services through value-added distributors, resellers, and strategic partners; and trade shows and seminars, advertising, public relations, distribution of sales literature, and product specifications and ongoing communication with prospective customers, distributors, resellers, strategic partners, and installed base of current customers, as well as through direct sales. The company was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.

About Kelly Services

Kelly Services, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides workforce solutions to various industries. The company operates through five segments: Professional & Industrial; Science, Engineering & Technology; Education; Outsourcing & Consulting; and International. The Professional & Industrial segment delivers staffing, outcome-based, and permanent placement services providing administrative, accounting, and finance; light industrial; contact center staffing; and other workforce solutions. The Science, Engineering & Technology segment offers staffing, outcome-based, and permanent placement services in the areas of science and clinical research, engineering, technology, and telecommunications specialties. The Education segment provides staffing, permanent placement, and executive search services to pre-K-12 school districts and education organizations. The Outsourcing & Consulting segment offers managed service provider, recruitment process outsourcing, payroll process outsourcing, and executive coaching programs to customers on a global basis that includes its RocketPower brand. The International segment provides staffing, recruitment process outsourcing, and permanent placement services. The company serves customers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Russia, Italy, rest of Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Kelly Services, Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Troy, Michigan.