Reviewing ITV (OTCMKTS:ITVPY) & Gray Media (NYSE:GTN.A)

ITV (OTCMKTS:ITVPY) and Gray Media (NYSE:GTN.A) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares ITV and Gray Media’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ITV	N/A	N/A	N/A
Gray Media	2.81%	5.50%	1.17%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

51.4% of ITV shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.3% of Gray Media shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of ITV shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 13.3% of Gray Media shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

ITV has a beta of 0.83, meaning that its share price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Gray Media has a beta of 0.96, meaning that its share price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for ITV and Gray Media, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ITV	1	3	0	0	1.75
Gray Media	0	0	0	0	0.00

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares ITV and Gray Media”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ITV	$4.46 billion	1.01	$521.38 million	N/A	N/A
Gray Media	$3.64 billion	0.29	$375.00 million	$1.51	6.83

ITV has higher revenue and earnings than Gray Media.

Dividends

ITV pays an annual dividend of $0.39 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Gray Media pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Gray Media pays out 21.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Summary

ITV beats Gray Media on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ITV

ITV plc, an integrated production, broadcasting, and streaming company, which creates, owns, and distributes content on various platforms worldwide. It operates through ITV Studios and Media & Entertainment segments. The ITV Studios segment creates and produces programs and formats that include sports, drama, entertainment, factual, and news for its own channels and other broadcasters. The segment also operates as an unscripted independent producer of content in the United States; and produces content for local broadcasters and international OTT platforms in Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. In addition, this segment engages in licensing its finished programmes, formats, and third-party content internationally, as well as finances productions. The Media & Entertainment segment broadcasts and streams various contents on its family of free-to-air TV channels; and offers television advertising services. The company also delivers content through linear television broadcasting, as well as on the ITV Hub, BritBox UK, ITVX, catch up services on pay platforms, and through direct content deals. In addition, this segment offers online advertising, HD digital channel on pay platform, and ITV Premium subscription services. The company was founded in 1955 is based in London, the United Kingdom.

About Gray Media

Gray Television, Inc., a television broadcast company, owns and operates television stations and digital assets in the United States. As of February 28, 2019, it owned and operated television stations in 91 television markets broadcasting approximately 400 program streams, including approximately 150 channels affiliated with the CBS Network, the NBC Network, the ABC Network, and the FOX Network. The company also broadcasts secondary digital channels affiliated to ABC, CBS, and FOX, as well as channels affiliated with various other networks and program services, including CW Plus Network, MY Network, the MeTV Network, This TV Network, Antenna TV, Telemundo, Cozi, Heroes and Icons, and MOVIES! Network; and local news/weather channels in various markets. In addition, it is also involved in the video program production, marketing, and digital businesses including Raycom Sports, Tupelo-Raycom, and RTM Studios; and production of PowerNation programs and content. The company was formerly known as Gray Communications Systems, Inc. and changed its name to Gray Television, Inc. in August 2002. Gray Television, Inc. was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.