Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) vs NextNav Inc. (NN) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | NN | 46.8% revenue growth vs CMCM's 20.5% |
| Quality / Margins | CMCM | -40.2% net margin vs NN's -27.7% |
| Stability / Safety | CMCM | Beta 1.16 vs NN's 1.23, lower leverage |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | NN | +53.4% vs CMCM's +16.3% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | CMCM | -8.7% ROA vs NN's -58.4%, ROIC -58.3% vs -61.5% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Cheetah Mobile is a Chinese internet company that develops mobile utility apps — primarily security and cleaning tools — and casual mobile games. It generates revenue mainly through mobile advertising (roughly 70-80% of total) and to a lesser extent from in-app purchases in its games and premium subscription services. Its competitive advantage stems from its large installed base of utility apps — particularly Clean Master and Security Master — which provide a captive audience for its advertising network.
NextNav provides next-generation 3D geolocation and positioning services as an alternative to traditional GPS. It makes money by selling its Pinnacle 3D geolocation service — available in thousands of U.S. cities — and its TerraPoiNT terrestrial-based encrypted timing network directly to customers and through partners. The company's key advantage is its terrestrial-based encrypted network that provides more reliable indoor and urban positioning where GPS signals are weak or unavailable.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
CMCM leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Valuation Metrics). NN leads in 1 (Total Returns). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
CMCM is the larger business by revenue, generating $1.1B annually — 194.7x NN's $6M. Profitability is closely matched — net margins range from -40.2% (CMCM) to -27.7% (NN). On growth, CMCM holds the edge at +49.6% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | CMCMCheetah Mobile In… | NNNextNav Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $1.1B | $6M |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$62M | -$64M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$434M | -$154M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $0 | -$47M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +74.3% | -64.6% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -22.3% | -12.4% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -40.2% | -27.7% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -32.4% | -8.5% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +49.6% | -44.8% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +72.9% | -9.1% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | CMCMCheetah Mobile In… | NNNextNav Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $6.3B | $2.1B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $6.0B | $2.1B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -0.04x | -19.15x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | — |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 53.15x | 372.20x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.01x | 39.00x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
CMCM delivers a -19.8% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $-20 in annual profit, vs $-156 for NN. CMCM carries lower financial leverage with a 0.03x debt-to-equity ratio, signaling a more conservative balance sheet compared to NN's 1.43x. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), CMCM scores 4/9 vs NN's 3/9, reflecting mixed financial health.
| Metric | CMCMCheetah Mobile In… | NNNextNav Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -19.8% | -156.5% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -8.7% | -58.4% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -58.3% | -61.5% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -16.4% | -39.8% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 4 | 3 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.03x | 1.43x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$1.8B | $32M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $1.8B | $39M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $75M | $71M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | — | -6.08x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in NN five years ago would be worth $15,698 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $4,212 for CMCM. Over the past 12 months, NN leads with a +53.4% total return vs CMCM's +16.3%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors NN at 80.0% vs CMCM's 34.1% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | CMCMCheetah Mobile In… | NNNextNav Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -1.8% | -0.8% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +16.3% | +53.4% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +141.2% | +483.0% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -57.9% | +57.0% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -78.6% | +65.0% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +34.1% | +80.0% |
Risk & Volatility
CMCM is the less volatile stock with a 1.16 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than NN's 1.23 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. NN currently trades 88.2% from its 52-week high vs CMCM's 65.1% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | CMCMCheetah Mobile In… | NNNextNav Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 1.16x | 1.23x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $9.44 | $18.25 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $3.28 | $9.05 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +65.1% | +88.2% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 50.6 | 58.5 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 13K | 1.0M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates CMCM as "Buy" and NN as "Buy".
| Metric | CMCMCheetah Mobile In… | NNNextNav Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $9.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 8 | 3 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 3 | — |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Nov 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) | 100 | 68.45 | -31.6% |
| NextNav Inc. (NN) | 100 | 151.79 | +51.8% |
NextNav Inc. (NN) returned +57% over 5 years vs Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM)'s -58%. A $10,000 investment in NN 5 years ago would be worth $15,698 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) | $581M | $807M | +38.8% |
| NextNav Inc. (NN) | $164000.00 | $6M | +3356.7% |
Cheetah Mobile Inc.'s revenue grew from $581M (2015) to $807M (2024) — a 3.7% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) | 4.7% | -76.5% | -1737.9% |
| NextNav Inc. (NN) | -602.3% | -18.0% | +97.0% |
Cheetah Mobile Inc.'s net margin went from 5% (2015) to -77% (2024).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 3 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) | 0.2 | 0 | -100.0% |
Cheetah Mobile Inc. has traded in a 0x–0x P/E range over 3 years; current trailing P/E is ~-0x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) | 47.5 | -1,027 | -2262.1% |
| NextNav Inc. (NN) | -6.27 | -0.84 | +86.6% |
Cheetah Mobile Inc.'s EPS grew from $47.50 (2015) to $-1027.00 (2024) — a NaN% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Cheetah Mobile Inc. generated $-261M FCF in 2024 (-566% vs 2021). NextNav Inc. generated $-38M FCF in 2024 (+22% vs 2021).
CMCM vs NN: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is CMCM or NN a better buy right now?
Analysts rate Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) a "Buy" — based on 8 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which is the better long-term investment — CMCM or NN?
Over the past 5 years, NextNav Inc. (NN) delivered a total return of +57.0%, compared to -57.9% for Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM). A $10,000 investment in NN five years ago would be worth approximately $16K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: NN returned +65.0% versus CMCM's -78.6%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
03Which is safer — CMCM or NN?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) is the lower-risk stock at 1.16β versus NextNav Inc.'s 1.23β — meaning NN is approximately 6% more volatile than CMCM relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 3% versus 143% for NextNav Inc. — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.
04Which has better profit margins — CMCM or NN?
Cheetah Mobile Inc. (CMCM) is the more profitable company, earning -76.5% net margin versus -1797.1% for NextNav Inc. — meaning it keeps -76.5% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: CMCM leads at -54.2% versus -1060.1% for NN. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — CMCM leads at 67.6%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
05Which pays a better dividend — CMCM or NN?
None of the stocks in this comparison currently pay a material dividend. All are effectively zero-yield and should be held for capital appreciation rather than income.
06Is CMCM or NN better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, NextNav Inc. (NN) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 1.23)). Both have compounded well over 10 years (NN: +65.0%, CMCM: -78.6%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
07What are the main differences between CMCM and NN?
Both stocks operate in the Communication Services sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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- Sector: Communication Services
- Market Cap > $100B
- Revenue Growth > 24%
- Gross Margin > 44%