Comparing John Wiley & Sons (NYSE:WLY) & MediaCo (NASDAQ:MDIA)

John Wiley & Sons (NYSE:WLY) and MediaCo (NASDAQ:MDIA) are both communication services companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk and profitability.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

73.9% of John Wiley & Sons shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.0% of MediaCo shares are held by institutional investors. 17.6% of John Wiley & Sons shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 9.8% of MediaCo shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares John Wiley & Sons and MediaCo’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
John Wiley & Sons	11.90%	27.99%	8.16%
MediaCo	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility and Risk

John Wiley & Sons has a beta of 0.75, indicating that its stock price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MediaCo has a beta of 0.31, indicating that its stock price is 69% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for John Wiley & Sons and MediaCo, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
John Wiley & Sons	0	2	0	0	2.00
MediaCo	1	0	0	0	1.00

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares John Wiley & Sons and MediaCo”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
John Wiley & Sons	$1.68 billion	1.52	$221.62 million	$3.78	13.30
MediaCo	$139.42 million	0.59	-$69.74 million	($0.83)	-1.18

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

Summary

John Wiley & Sons beats MediaCo on 12 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About John Wiley & Sons

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. engages in the provision of research and learning materials. It operates through the following segments: Research, Learning, and Held for Sale or Sold. The Research segment consists of research publishing and research solutions. The Learning segment includes academic and professional reporting lines and consists of publishing and related knowledge solutions. The Held for Sale or Sold segment offers businesses held-for-sale including Wiley Edge and CrossKnowledge, University Services and Tuition Manager, and Test Prep and Advancement Courses. The company was founded by Charles Wiley in 1807 and is headquartered in Hoboken, NJ.

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.