Comparing KDDI (OTCMKTS:KDDIY) and KT (NYSE:KT)

KT (NYSE:KT) and KDDI (OTCMKTS:KDDIY) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, dividends, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

18.9% of KT shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of KDDI shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of KT shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares KT and KDDI”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
KT	$27,451.13 billion	0.00	$321.90 million	$1.40	13.11
KDDI	$38.86 billion	1.85	$4.53 billion	$1.26	13.64

KDDI has lower revenue, but higher earnings than KT. KT is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than KDDI, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares KT and KDDI’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
KT	3.35%	5.06%	2.22%
KDDI	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility and Risk

KT has a beta of 0.7, indicating that its stock price is 30% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, KDDI has a beta of 0.08, indicating that its stock price is 92% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for KT and KDDI, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
KT	1	1	2	0	2.25
KDDI	1	0	0	0	1.00

Dividends

KT pays an annual dividend of $0.65 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. KDDI pays an annual dividend of $0.17 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. KT pays out 46.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. KDDI pays out 13.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Summary

KT beats KDDI on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About KT

KT Corporation provides integrated telecommunications and platform services in Korea and internationally. The company offers mobile voice and data telecommunications services based on 5G, 4G LTE and 3G W-CDMA technology; fixed-line telephone services, including local, domestic long-distance, international long-distance, and voice over Internet protocol telephone services, as well as interconnection services; broadband Internet access service and other Internet-related services; and data communication services, such as fixed-line and leased line services, as well as broadband Internet connection services. It also provides media and content services, including IPTV, satellite TV, digital music, e-commerce, online advertising consulting, and web comics and novels services; and credit card processing and other financial services. In addition, the company offers information technology and network services, and satellite services; sells handsets and miscellaneous telecommunications equipment; develops and sells residential units and commercial real estate; and rents real estate properties. Further, it maintains public telephones; offers security, B2C and B2B, investment fund, software development and data processing, value added network, call center, system integration and maintenance, marketing, PCS distribution, truck transportation and trucking arrangement business, cloud system implementation, satellite communication network, installation and management, and data center development and related services. Additionally, the company is involved in the Internet banking ASP and security solutions, residential building development and supply, sports team management, technology business finance, and submarine cable construction and maintenance businesses. The company was formerly known as Korea Telecom Corp. and changed its name to KT Corporation in March 2002. KT Corporation was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Seongnam-si, South Korea.

About KDDI

KDDI Corporation provides telecommunications services in Japan and internationally. It operates in two segments, Personal Services and Business Services. The Personal Services segment offers telecommunication services and other services such as finance, energy, and LX through its multi-brands au, UQ mobile, and povo. The Business Services segment offers smartphones and other devices, network and cloud services, and data center services to corporate customers under the TELEHOUSE brand. The company was incorporated in 1984 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.