Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYK – Get Free Report) and John Wiley & Sons (NYSE:WLYB – Get Free Report) are both mid-cap communication services companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and earnings.
Profitability
This table compares Liberty Global and John Wiley & Sons’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Liberty Global | -62.12% | -28.83% | -13.28% |
| John Wiley & Sons | 11.90% | 27.99% | 8.16% |
Risk and Volatility
Liberty Global has a beta of 0.89, indicating that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, John Wiley & Sons has a beta of 0.55, indicating that its stock price is 45% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Liberty Global | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
| John Wiley & Sons | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Liberty Global and John Wiley & Sons”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Liberty Global | $4.88 billion | 0.73 | -$7.14 billion | ($8.98) | -1.16 |
| John Wiley & Sons | $1.68 billion | 1.46 | $221.62 million | $3.78 | 12.80 |
John Wiley & Sons has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Liberty Global. Liberty Global is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than John Wiley & Sons, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
46.1% of Liberty Global shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.5% of John Wiley & Sons shares are held by institutional investors. 9.9% of Liberty Global shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 29.7% of John Wiley & Sons shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
John Wiley & Sons beats Liberty Global on 9 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Liberty Global
Liberty Global Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides broadband internet, video, fixed-line telephony, and mobile communications services to residential and business customers. It offers value-added broadband services, such as WiFi features, security, anti-virus, firewall, spam protection, smart home services, online storage solutions, and web spaces; and Connect Box that delivers in-home Wi-Fi service. The company provides various tiers of digital video programming and audio services, as well as digital video recorders and multimedia home gateway systems; Horizon 5, a cloud-based, multi-screen entertainment platform that combines linear television, including recording and replay features and video-on-demand services; Horizon Go, an online mobile app; and channels, including general entertainment, sports, movies, series, documentaries, lifestyles, news, adult, children, and ethnic and foreign channels. In addition, it offers postpaid and prepaid mobile services; circuit-switched telephony services; and personal call manager, unified messaging, and a second or third phone line at an incremental cost. Further, the company offers business services comprising voice, advanced data, video, wireless, cloud-based services, and mobile and converged fixed-mobile services to small or home offices, small businesses, and medium and large enterprises, as well as on a wholesale basis to other operators. It operates in Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland, Slovakia, and internationally. Liberty Global Ltd. was founded in 2004 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.
About John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. engages in the provision of research and learning materials. It operates through the following segments: Research, Learning, and Held for Sale or Sold. The Research segment consists of research publishing and research solutions. The Learning segment includes academic and professional reporting lines and consists of publishing and related knowledge solutions. The Held for Sale or Sold segment offers businesses held-for-sale including Wiley Edge and CrossKnowledge, University Services and Tuition Manager, and Test Prep and Advancement Courses. The company was founded by Charles Wiley in 1807 and is headquartered in Hoboken, NJ.
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