Critical Comparison: LZ Technology (NASDAQ:LZMH) versus ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS)

ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS) and LZ Technology (NASDAQ:LZMH) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares ExlService and LZ Technology’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ExlService	11.91%	25.60%	15.03%
LZ Technology	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares ExlService and LZ Technology”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ExlService	$2.03 billion	3.10	$198.30 million	$1.47	26.90
LZ Technology	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

ExlService has higher revenue and earnings than LZ Technology.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

92.9% of ExlService shares are held by institutional investors. 4.0% of ExlService shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for ExlService and LZ Technology, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ExlService	0	1	4	0	2.80
LZ Technology	1	0	0	0	1.00

ExlService presently has a consensus price target of $54.50, indicating a potential upside of 37.84%. Given ExlService’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe ExlService is more favorable than LZ Technology.

Summary

ExlService beats LZ Technology on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ExlService

ExlService Holdings, Inc. operates as a data analytics, and digital operations and solutions company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Insurance, Healthcare, Analytics, and Emerging Business segments. It also provides digital operations and solutions and analytics-driven services, such as claims processing, premium and benefit administration, agency management, account reconciliation, policy research, underwriting support, new business acquisition, policy servicing, premium audit, surveys, billing and collection, commercial and residential survey, and customer service using digital technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced automation; digital customer acquisition services using a software-as-a-service delivery model through LifePRO and LISS platforms; subrogation services; and Subrosource software platform, an end-to-end subrogation platform. In addition, the company offers health care services related to care management, utilization management, disease management, payment integrity, revenue optimization, and customer engagement. Further, it provides financial planning and analysis, management reporting, forecasting and decision support, data management, regulatory reporting and risk, and compliance services; reservations, customer, and fulfilment services; freight billing, collections, claims management, freight audit, freight scheduling, supply chain management, and revenue assurance services; residential mortgage lending, title verification and validation, retail banking and credit cards, trust verification, commercial banking, and investment management; merchandising, pricing, and demand forecasting; and digital operations and solutions. The company offers predictive and prescriptive analytics in the areas of customer acquisition and lifecycle management. ExlService Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

About LZ Technology

As a holding company with no material operations of its own, LZ Technology conducts its operations through its operating entities formed in the PRC, primarily Lianzhang Portal and its subsidiaries. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, the Company had a total of 247 and 255 customers, respectively, who entered into contracts with the Company to purchase the Company’s products and services. For the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, the Company had a total of 168 and 102 customers, respectively, who entered into contracts with the Company to purchase the Company’s products and services. The Company, however, has derived a large portion of its revenues from a few customers. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, the Company’s top three customers collectively accounted for approximately 84.4% and 24.5% of its total revenue, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2024, the Company’s top three customers collectively accounted for approximately 33.2% of its total revenue. The Company is an information technology and advertising company. Its operations are organized primarily into three business verticals: (i) Smart Community, (ii) Out-of-Home Advertising, and (iii) Local Life. Smart Community. The Company provides intelligent community building access and safety management systems through access control monitors and vendor-provided SaaS platforms. The Company’s intelligent community access control system makes resident access to properties simpler. As of June 30, 2024, approximately 72,773 of the Company’s access control screens had been installed in over 4,000 residential communities, serving over 2.7 million households. Out-of-Home Advertising. The Company offers clients one-stop multi-channel advertising solutions. Capitalizing on the Company’s network of monitors that span approximately 120 cities in China such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Xiamen, Hefei, Dalian, Ningbo, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing, Changsha, the Company’s Out-of-Home Advertising services help merchants display advertisements in a variety of formats across its intelligent access control and safety management system. Advertisements are placed on the monitors and within the SaaS software. Residents are exposed to these advertisements each time they enter and exit community buildings or open the SaaS software. This level of visibility serves as a highly effective means of advertising, assisting merchants in effectively promoting their brands and accelerating their product sales. Moreover, the Company partners with other outdoor advertising providers to maximize coverage by placing the advertisements on the partners’ numerous displays in public transportation, hotels and other settings as well as deploying posters at events. This broad approach provides clients with a truly comprehensive out-of-home advertising solution. Local Life. The Company connects local businesses with consumers via online promotions and transactions. With its strong technological capabilities, the Company helps local restaurants, hotels, tourist companies, retail stores, cinemas and other merchants offer deals and coupons to consumers on social media platforms such as WeChat, Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) and RedNote. The Local Life vertical bridges the businesses’ need for product sales and promotions and the consumers’ need for dining, shopping, entertainment, tourist attractions and other local services. In addition, deals from local businesses can also be displayed on the access control screens. In this way, clients of the Company’s Local Life services can also reach the Smart Community residents, leveraging the Company’s access control screens’ extensive coverage and high exposure potential. Since early 2023, we have embarked on executing the strategy of deepening engagement with merchants and manufacturers within our Local Life space through facilitating retail sales of diversified goods and services, including beverages, groceries and travel packages. The Company reports financial results in one segment. Currently, a substantial portion of the Company’s revenues are generated from advertising and promotional activities, namely by the Out-of-Home Advertising and Local Life verticals. Revenues from Smart Community, which mainly consist of product sales of access control devices and service fees, contribute only a small portion to the Company’s total revenues. Thus, the Smart Community revenues are grouped with other miscellaneous revenue sources, such as advertising design and production and social media account operations. Our principal executive offices are located at Unit 311, Floor 3, No. 5999 Wuxing Avenue, Zhili Town, Wuxing District, Huzhou City, Zhejiang province, People’s Republic of China 313000. LZ Technology’s registered office is currently located at the office of Sertus Incorporations (Cayman) Limited, Sertus Chambers, Governors Square, Suite # 5-204, 23 Lime Tree Bay Avenue, P.O. Box 2547, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands, which may be changed from time to time at the discretion of directors. LZ Technology’s agent for service of process in the United States is Cogency Global Inc., located at 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY.