E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP – Get Free Report) and Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYK – Get Free Report) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, earnings and profitability.
Profitability
This table compares E.W. Scripps and Liberty Global’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| E.W. Scripps | 4.25% | 17.68% | 2.98% |
| Liberty Global | -60.38% | -22.64% | -10.77% |
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for E.W. Scripps and Liberty Global, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| E.W. Scripps | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Liberty Global | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Risk & Volatility
E.W. Scripps has a beta of 1.05, meaning that its stock price is 5% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Liberty Global has a beta of 1.11, meaning that its stock price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
67.8% of E.W. Scripps shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 46.1% of Liberty Global shares are held by institutional investors. 4.1% of E.W. Scripps shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 9.9% of Liberty Global shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares E.W. Scripps and Liberty Global”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| E.W. Scripps | $2.51 billion | 0.10 | $87.60 million | $0.48 | 6.13 |
| Liberty Global | $4.34 billion | 0.92 | $1.59 billion | ($9.77) | -1.20 |
Liberty Global has higher revenue and earnings than E.W. Scripps. Liberty Global is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than E.W. Scripps, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
E.W. Scripps beats Liberty Global on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About E.W. Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a media enterprise through a portfolio of local television stations, national news, and entertainment networks in the United States. It operates through Local Media, Scripps Networks, and Other segments. The Local Media segment operates broadcast television stations, which produce news, information, sports, and entertainment content, as well as its related digital operations; runs network, syndicated, and original programming, and local sporting events; and provides core and political advertising services. The Scripps Networks segment offers national television networks through free over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite, connected TV, and digital distribution. This segment also provides Scripp News, a national news network, which provides politics, entertainment, science, and technology news; Court TV, which showcases live trials; entertainment brands, such as Bounce, Defy TV, Grit, ION Mystery, and Laff; and ION, a national network of broadcast stations and broadcast television spectrum, which distributes programming through Federal Communications Commission-licensed television stations, as well as affiliated TV stations through over-the-air broadcast and pay TV platforms. In addition, it provides content and services through digital platforms, including the Internet, smartphones, and tablets; Nuvyyo, which offers consumers DVR product solutions to watch and record free over-the-air HDTV on connected devices; and Scripps National Spelling Bee, which shows educational programs. The company serves audiences and businesses through cable and satellite service providers. The E.W. Scripps Company was founded in 1878 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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.
Receive News & Ratings for E.W. Scripps Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for E.W. Scripps and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
