John Wiley & Sons (NYSE:WLYB – Get Free Report) and Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYB – Get Free Report) are both mid-cap communication services companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends and valuation.
Risk & Volatility
John Wiley & Sons has a beta of 0.54, meaning that its stock price is 46% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Liberty Global has a beta of 0.46, meaning that its stock price is 54% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
0.5% of John Wiley & Sons shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.5% of Liberty Global shares are owned by institutional investors. 29.7% of John Wiley & Sons shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.5% of Liberty Global shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Profitability
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| John Wiley & Sons | 11.90% | 27.99% | 8.16% |
| Liberty Global | -62.11% | -28.82% | -13.28% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for John Wiley & Sons and Liberty Global, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| John Wiley & Sons | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Liberty Global | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares John Wiley & Sons and Liberty Global”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| John Wiley & Sons | $1.68 billion | 1.45 | $221.62 million | $3.78 | 12.67 |
| Liberty Global | $4.88 billion | 0.86 | -$7.14 billion | ($8.98) | -1.38 |
John Wiley & Sons has higher earnings, but lower revenue 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.
Summary
John Wiley & Sons beats Liberty Global on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.
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.
About Liberty Global
Liberty Global Plc is an international television and broadband company, which engages in the provision of broadband communications services. It operates through the following geographical segments: U.K. and Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Central and Eastern Europe, and Central and Corporate. Its products include broadband, WiFi, connectivity products, TV platforms, and TV content. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
Receive News & Ratings for John Wiley & Sons Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for John Wiley & Sons and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
