VEON (NASDAQ:VEON – Get Free Report) and Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA – Get Free Report) are both mid-cap utilities companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, institutional ownership and valuation.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares VEON and Liberty Global”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| VEON | $4.00 billion | 0.90 | $415.00 million | $8.80 | 5.96 |
| Liberty Global | $4.34 billion | 0.86 | $1.59 billion | ($6.09) | -1.83 |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for VEON and Liberty Global, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| VEON | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2.50 |
| Liberty Global | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2.11 |
VEON currently has a consensus price target of $60.00, suggesting a potential upside of 14.46%. Liberty Global has a consensus price target of $15.00, suggesting a potential upside of 34.53%. Given Liberty Global’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Liberty Global is more favorable than VEON.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
21.3% of VEON shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 37.2% of Liberty Global shares are held by institutional investors. 13.3% of Liberty Global shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Volatility & Risk
VEON has a beta of 1.58, indicating that its stock price is 58% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Liberty Global has a beta of 1.05, indicating that its stock price is 5% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares VEON and Liberty Global’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| VEON | 15.26% | 58.72% | 10.13% |
| Liberty Global | -41.44% | -14.71% | -7.29% |
Summary
VEON beats Liberty Global on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About VEON
VEON Ltd., a digital operator, provides connectivity and internet services in Pakistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. It offers mobile telecommunications services, including value added and call completion, national and international roaming, wireless Internet access, mobile financial, and mobile bundle services; data connectivity, cross border transit, voice, Internet, and data services; fixed-line telecommunications using intercity fiber optic networks; and Internet-TV using Fiber to the building technology. The company also sells equipment, infrastructure, and accessories. VEON Ltd. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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.
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