Ariba Leading B2B Software Race by Taking Road More Traveled

Maybe birds of a feather don't flock together.

When it comes to business-to-business e-commerce stocks, no two stocks are more closely identified with each other -- or the sector as a whole -- as Ariba (ARBA Quote) and Commerce One (CMRC Quote). Both make exchange and procurement software that allows companies to buy and sell materials over the Internet. Both are pioneers, and both can brag about splashy deals and partnerships aimed at changing the way the world does business.

So why did Ariba recently smash through the $20 billion market-cap level while Commerce One sits well below $10 billion? Why has Ariba rebounded 70% since its recent low on April 17, while Commerce One has risen just 18% since then?

	Ariba	Commerce One
Market cap	$21.5 billion	$6.6 billion
Price-to-sales	148	75
Revenues, latest quarter	$40 million	$35 million
Price	98	47 1/2

...