Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Oblong, Inc. (OBLG) vs ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) 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 | NOW | 20.9% revenue growth vs OBLG's -37.6% |
| Quality / Margins | NOW | 13.2% net margin vs OBLG's -187.2% |
| Stability / Safety | NOW | Beta 1.52 vs OBLG's 2.12 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | OBLG | -69.8% vs NOW's -88.4% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | NOW | 6.7% ROA vs OBLG's -40.9% |
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
Oblong provides multi-stream visual collaboration technologies and managed services for video conferencing and network applications. It generates revenue from collaboration products like its Mezzanine platform and managed services for video environments — including network connectivity and support services. The company's competitive advantage lies in its proprietary multi-screen, multi-device collaboration technology that enables seamless visual communication across distributed teams.
ServiceNow is a leading enterprise cloud platform that automates digital workflows across IT, customer service, HR, and security operations. It generates revenue primarily through subscription fees for its Now platform — with IT service management being its largest segment — and professional services. The company's competitive moat lies in its unified workflow automation platform that creates strong network effects and high switching costs as customers expand across departments.
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
NOW leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). OBLG leads in 1 (Valuation Metrics). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
NOW is the larger business by revenue, generating $13.3B annually — 5583.7x OBLG's $2M. NOW is the more profitable business, keeping 13.2% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to OBLG's -187.2%. On growth, NOW holds the edge at +20.7% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | OBLGOblong, Inc. | NOWServiceNow, Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $2M | $13.3B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$5M | $2.6B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$4M | $1.7B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$3M | $4.6B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +36.0% | +77.5% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -130.5% | +13.7% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -187.2% | +13.2% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -129.4% | +34.5% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +4.0% | +20.7% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +93.4% | +2.7% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | OBLGOblong, Inc. | NOWServiceNow, Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $1M | $113.1B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | -$4M | $112.6B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -0.07x | 64.68x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 25.81x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 0.93x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | 43.94x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 0.53x | 8.52x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.23x | 8.72x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | 24.71x |
Profitability & Efficiency
NOW delivers a 13.5% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $13 in annual profit, vs $-45 for OBLG. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), NOW scores 3/9 vs OBLG's 2/9, reflecting mixed financial health.
| Metric | OBLGOblong, Inc. | NOWServiceNow, Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -45.3% | +13.5% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -40.9% | +6.7% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | — | +12.4% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -88.2% | +13.2% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 2 | 3 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.25x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$5M | -$523M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $5M | $3.7B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $0 | $3.2B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | — | 126.61x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in NOW five years ago would be worth $1,941 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $4 for OBLG. Over the past 12 months, OBLG leads with a -69.8% total return vs NOW's -88.4%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors NOW at -37.0% vs OBLG's -76.6% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | OBLGOblong, Inc. | NOWServiceNow, Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -44.2% | -26.7% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -69.8% | -88.4% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -98.7% | -75.0% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -100.0% | -80.6% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -100.0% | +96.4% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -76.6% | -37.0% |
Risk & Volatility
NOW is the less volatile stock with a 1.52 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than OBLG's 2.12 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. OBLG currently trades 20.0% from its 52-week high vs NOW's 10.2% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | OBLGOblong, Inc. | NOWServiceNow, Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 2.12x | 1.52x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $5.50 | $1057.39 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $0.96 | $98.00 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +20.0% | +10.2% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 26.1 | 30.9 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 36K | 15.0M |
Analyst Outlook
| Metric | OBLGOblong, Inc. | NOWServiceNow, Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | — | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $196.29 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | — | 67 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | — |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | +1.6% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oblong, Inc. (OBLG) | 100 | 0.18 | -99.8% |
| ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) | 100 | 34.26 | -65.7% |
ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) returned -81% over 5 years vs Oblong, Inc. (OBLG)'s -100%.
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oblong, Inc. (OBLG) | $19M | $2M | -87.6% |
| ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) | $1.4B | $13.3B | +854.9% |
ServiceNow, Inc.'s revenue grew from $1.4B (2016) to $13.3B (2025) — a 28.5% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oblong, Inc. (OBLG) | -18.4% | -170.0% | -824.8% |
| ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) | -32.5% | 13.2% | +140.5% |
ServiceNow, Inc.'s net margin went from -32% (2016) to 13% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 3 Years
| Stock | 2019 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) | 443.9 | 91.7 | -79.3% |
ServiceNow, Inc. has traded in a 92x–444x P/E range over 3 years; current trailing P/E is ~65x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oblong, Inc. (OBLG) | -595.27 | -15.71 | +97.4% |
| ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) | -0.55 | 1.67 | +403.6% |
ServiceNow, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-0.55 (2016) to $1.67 (2025).
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Oblong, Inc. generated $-3M FCF in 2024 (+56% vs 2021). ServiceNow, Inc. generated $5B FCF in 2025 (+155% vs 2021).
OBLG vs NOW: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is OBLG or NOW a better buy right now?
ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) offers the better valuation at 64.7x trailing P/E (25.8x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) a "Buy" — based on 67 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 — OBLG or NOW?
Over the past 5 years, ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) delivered a total return of -80.6%, compared to -100.0% for Oblong, Inc. (OBLG). A $10,000 investment in NOW five years ago would be worth approximately $2K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: NOW returned +96.4% versus OBLG's -100.0%. 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 — OBLG or NOW?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) is the lower-risk stock at 1.52β versus Oblong, Inc.'s 2.12β — meaning OBLG is approximately 39% more volatile than NOW relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — OBLG or NOW?
ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) is the more profitable company, earning 13.2% net margin versus -170.0% for Oblong, Inc. — meaning it keeps 13.2% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: NOW leads at 13.7% versus -176.7% for OBLG. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — NOW leads at 77.5%, 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 — OBLG or NOW?
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 OBLG or NOW better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding. Oblong, Inc. (OBLG) carries a higher beta of 2.12 — meaning larger drawdowns in market downturns, which matters significantly when you cannot wait years for a recovery. Both have compounded well over 10 years (NOW: +96.4%, OBLG: -100.0%), 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 OBLG and NOW?
Both stocks operate in the Technology 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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