Head to Head Comparison: Sirius XM (NASDAQ:SIRI) versus MediaCo (NASDAQ:MDIA)

Sirius XM (NASDAQ:SIRI) and MediaCo (NASDAQ:MDIA) are both communication services companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, valuation, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Risk and Volatility

Sirius XM has a beta of 0.98, indicating that its stock price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MediaCo has a beta of 0.13, indicating that its stock price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Sirius XM and MediaCo’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Sirius XM	10.23%	9.37%	4.02%
MediaCo	N/A	N/A	N/A

Insider and Institutional Ownership

10.7% of Sirius XM shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.0% of MediaCo shares are held by institutional investors. 3.3% of Sirius XM shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 9.8% of MediaCo shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Sirius XM and MediaCo”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Sirius XM	$8.90 billion	1.00	$805.00 million	$2.50	10.52
MediaCo	$139.42 million	0.62	-$69.74 million	($0.83)	-1.24

Sirius XM has higher revenue and earnings than MediaCo. MediaCo is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Sirius XM, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Sirius XM and MediaCo, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Sirius XM	3	8	8	0	2.26
MediaCo	1	0	0	0	1.00

Sirius XM presently has a consensus target price of $32.15, suggesting a potential upside of 22.21%. Given Sirius XM’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Sirius XM is more favorable than MediaCo.

Summary

Sirius XM beats MediaCo on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Sirius XM

Sirius XM Holdings Inc. operates as an audio entertainment company in North America. It operates in two segments, Sirius XM, and Pandora and Off-platform. The company’s Sirius XM segment provides music, sports, entertainment, comedy, talk, news, traffic and weather channels, and other content, as well as podcast and infotainment services on subscription fee basis; and live, curated, and exclusive and on demand programming services through satellite radio systems and streamed through applications for mobile and home devices, and other consumer electronic equipment. This segment also distributes satellite radios through automakers and retailers, as well as its website; podcasts, including true crime, news, politics, music, comedy, sports, and entertainment; and offers location-based services through two-way wireless connectivity, including safety, security, convenience, maintenance and data, remote vehicles diagnostic, and stolen or parked vehicle locator services. In addition, this segment provides music channels on the DISH Network satellite television service as a programming package; Travel Link, a suite of data services that include graphical weather, fuel prices, sports schedule and scores, and movie listings; graphic information related to road closings, traffic flow, and incident data for consumers with in-vehicle navigation systems; real-time weather services in vehicles, boats, and planes; and music programming and commercial-free music services for office, restaurants, and other business. Its Pandora and Off-platform segment operates music, comedy, and podcast streaming platform, which offers personalized experience for listener through computers, tablets, mobile devices, vehicle speakers, and connected devices; and provides advertising services. The company was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in New York.

About MediaCo

MediaCo Holding Inc. owns and operates radio stations in the United States. The company engages in the operation of WQHT-FM and WBLS-FM radio stations in the New York City area. It also offers digital advertising, and events, which includes sponsorships, ticket sales, licensing, and syndication services. MediaCo Holding Inc. was incorporated in 2019 and is headquartered in New York, New York.