Its time to give a fresh look to Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) and DISH Network Corporation (DISH)

Shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) are making a strong comeback as they have jumped 45.58% since bottoming out on Feb. 02, 2017. Thanks to a rise of almost 0.93% in the past five days, the stock price is now up 12.23% so far on the year — still in strong territory. In this case, shares are down -1.32% , the 52-week high touched on Jan. 29, 2018, and are keeping their losses at 44.14% for the past 12 months.

Brokerage houses, on average, are recommending investors to buy Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)’s shares projecting a $1216.28 target price. Analysts‟ target price forecasts are a prediction of a stock‟s future price, generally over the 12 months following the release date (Asquith et al., 2005). This forecast is a point estimate that provides investors with a benchmark against which to directly compare stock price in the short run.Target prices made by analysts employed by large brokers, who have access to a greater resource pool, are more likely to be met over the 12-month forecast period.

GOOGL’s revenue has grown at an average annualized rate of about 19% during the past five years. However, the company’s most recent quarter increase of 23.7% looks attractive. The sales growth rate for a stock is a measure of how the stock’s sales per share (SPS) has grown over a specific period of time. It tells an investor how quickly a company is increasing its revenues. The sales growth rate helps investors determine how strong the overall growth-orientation is for a stock or portfolio.

The best measure of a company is its profitability, for without it, it cannot grow, and if it doesn’t grow, then its stock will trend downward. Increasing profits are the best indication that a company can pay dividends and that the share price will trend upward. Creditors will loan money at a cheaper rate to a profitable company than to an unprofitable one; consequently, profitable companies can use leverage to increase stockholders’ equity even more. Profitability ratios compare different accounts to see how efficiently a business is generating profits. These ratios show how well income is generated through operations, and are important to both creditors and investors. They help determine the company’s ability to continue operating. Currently, Alphabet Inc. net profit margin for the 12 months is at 20.09%. Comparatively, the peers have a net margin 21.14%, and the sector’s average is 14.35%. In that light, it seems in weak position compared to its peers but strength can be witnessed when compared with the sector. The profit margin measures the amount of net income earned with each dollar’s worth of revenue. It shows the percentage of sales that remain after all of the company’s expenses have been paid. The higher the ratio, the better.

DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH) is another stock that is grabbing investors attention these days. Its shares have trimmed -29.47% since hitting a peak level on Jul. 17, 2017. Meanwhile, due to a recent pullback which led to a fall of almost -1.78% in the past one month, the stock price is now with underperforming -1.78% so far on the year — still in weak zone. In this case, shares are 4.62% higher, the worst price in 52 weeks suffered on Jan. 19, 2018, but are collecting gains at -28.39% for the past six months.

The good news is there’s still room for DISH Network Corporation (DISH) to grow. At recent closing price of $46.9, DISH has a chance to add $24.5 or 52.24% in 52 weeks, based on mean target price ($71.4) placed by analysts.The analyst consensus opinion of 2.5 looks like a hold. It has a 36-month beta of 1.03 , so you might be in for a bumpy ride.

For the past 5 years, DISH Network Corporation’s EPS growth has been nearly -2.2%. Sure, the percentage is discouraging but more headwinds are coming as looking out over a next 5-year period, analysts expect the company to see its earnings go down by -9.7%, annually.

DISH Network Corporation (DISH)’s ROE is 21.45%, while industry’s is 9.8%. The average ROE for the sector stands at -12.96%. The return on equity (ROE), also known as return on investment (ROI), is the best measure of the return, since it is the product of the operating performance, asset turnover, and debt-equity management of the firm. If a firm can borrow money and use it to achieve a higher return than the cost of the debt, then the leveraging creates additional revenue that accrues to stockholders as increased equity.

DISH Network Corporation’s ROA is 3.88%, while industry’s average is 6.3%. As with any return, the higher this number the better. However, it, too, needs to be taken into the context of a company’s peer group as well as its sector. The average return on assets for companies in the same sector is 0.61. The return on assets (ROA) (aka return on total assets, return on average assets), is one of the most widely used profitability ratios because it is related to both profit margin and asset turnover, and shows the rate of return for both creditors and investors of the company. ROA shows how well a company controls its costs and utilizes its resources.