MTN Group (OTCMKTS:MTNOY) vs. PLDT (NYSE:PHI) Head to Head Review

MTN Group (OTCMKTS:MTNOY) and PLDT (NYSE:PHI) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation and earnings.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for MTN Group and PLDT, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MTN Group	0	0	0	1	4.00
PLDT	0	0	0	0	0.00

Profitability

This table compares MTN Group and PLDT’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MTN Group	N/A	N/A	N/A
PLDT	14.48%	29.66%	5.45%

Volatility & Risk

MTN Group has a beta of 1.25, meaning that its share price is 25% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, PLDT has a beta of 0.72, meaning that its share price is 28% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares MTN Group and PLDT”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
MTN Group	$10.27 billion	1.47	-$523.72 million	N/A	N/A
PLDT	$3.79 billion	1.28	$565.37 million	$2.53	8.88

PLDT has lower revenue, but higher earnings than MTN Group.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

2.3% of PLDT shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of PLDT shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

MTN Group pays an annual dividend of $0.13 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. PLDT pays an annual dividend of $1.19 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.3%. PLDT pays out 47.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Summary

PLDT beats MTN Group on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About MTN Group

MTN Group Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides mobile telecommunications services in South Africa, Nigeria, East Africa, West and Central Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa. The company offers data, voice and SMS, digital and fintech, interconnect, and roaming services, as well as sells mobile devices. It also provides network as a service, including subsea cables that offers international connectivity services; terrestrial and metro fiber networks; data centers and cable landing stations; and FTTx, towers, and radio access networks. The company also offers digital financial services, such as access payments, e-commerce, insurance, and lending and remittance services; enterprise services comprising manage networks, unified and cloud communication, security as a service, and Internet of Things; and API products and services for telecommunications, health, government, financial services, entertainment, and other sectors. MTN Group Limited was incorporated in 1994 and is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

About PLDT

PLDT Inc. provides telecommunications and digital services in the Philippines. The company operates through three segments: Wireless, Fixed Line, and Others. It offers cellular mobile, Internet broadband distribution, operations support, software development, and satellite information and messaging services; and sells Wi-Fi access equipment. The company also provides fixed line telecommunications services; business infrastructure and solutions; intelligent data processing and implementation, and data analytics insight generation services; and information and communications infrastructure for Internet-based services, e-commerce, customer relationship management, and information technology (IT) related services. In addition, it offers managed IT outsourcing, Internet-based purchasing, IT consulting and professional, and bills printing and other related value-added services; distributes Filipino channels and content services; and provides full-services customer rewards and loyalty programs. Further, the company engages in the sale of mobile handsets, broadband data routers, tablets, and accessories; and cross-border digital platforms. Additionally, it provides gaming support services; mobile internet and broadband, and data services; content provider and develops mobile application; IT solution; data and network; domestic leased lines; alternative messaging solutions, such as over-the-top services, social media, and messenger application; inbound roaming and other services; mobile prepaid and postpaid services; and fixed wireless broadband services. The company was formerly known as Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company and changed its name to PLDT Inc. in July 2016. PLDT Inc. was incorporated in 1928 and is headquartered in Makati City, the Philippines.