Comparing Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) & Ascential (OTCMKTS:AIAPF)

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) and Ascential (OTCMKTS:AIAPF) are both communication services companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

98.4% of Interpublic Group of Companies shares are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of Interpublic Group of Companies shares are held 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.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Interpublic Group of Companies and Ascential’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Interpublic Group of Companies	$10.93 billion	1.02	$938.00 million	$2.40	12.08
Ascential	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Interpublic Group of Companies has higher revenue and earnings than Ascential.

Profitability

This table compares Interpublic Group of Companies and Ascential’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Interpublic Group of Companies	8.59%	29.72%	6.32%
Ascential	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Interpublic Group of Companies and Ascential, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Interpublic Group of Companies	0	5	3	0	2.38
Ascential	0	0	1	0	3.00

Interpublic Group of Companies presently has a consensus price target of $35.89, suggesting a potential upside of 23.84%. Given Interpublic Group of Companies’ higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Interpublic Group of Companies is more favorable than Ascential.

Summary

Interpublic Group of Companies beats Ascential on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names. The Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions segment offers advertising, corporate, and brand identity services; and strategic consulting. Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions segment provides public relations and other specialized communications services, events, sports and entertainment marketing, and strategic consulting. The company was formerly known as McCann-Erickson Incorporated and changed its name to The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. in `January 1961. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

About Ascential

Ascential plc provides specialist information, analytics, events, and e-commerce optimization platforms in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the United States, Canada, China, rest of the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. The company operates through four segments: Digital Commerce, Product Design, Marketing, and Retail & Financial Services. It offers industry-specific business intelligence, insights, and forecasting through data and digital subscription tools and events. The company was formerly known as Trident Floatco PLC and changed its name to Ascential plc in January 2016. Ascential plc was incorporated in 2016 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.