Contrasting Zeta Network Group (NASDAQ:ZNB) and Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED)

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) and Zeta Network Group (NASDAQ:ZNB) are both small-cap services companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Phoenix Education Partners and Zeta Network Group”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Phoenix Education Partners	$1.01 billion	1.06	$133.88 million	N/A	N/A
Zeta Network Group	$8.73 million	0.04	-$43.00 million	N/A	N/A

Phoenix Education Partners has higher revenue and earnings than Zeta Network Group.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Phoenix Education Partners and Zeta Network Group, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Phoenix Education Partners	0	1	1	0	2.50
Zeta Network Group	1	0	0	0	1.00

Phoenix Education Partners presently has a consensus price target of $40.50, indicating a potential upside of 35.32%. Given Phoenix Education Partners’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Phoenix Education Partners is more favorable than Zeta Network Group.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

3.4% of Zeta Network Group shares are held by institutional investors. 5.0% of Phoenix Education Partners shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 38.9% of Zeta Network Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Phoenix Education Partners and Zeta Network Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Phoenix Education Partners	N/A	N/A	N/A
Zeta Network Group	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Phoenix Education Partners beats Zeta Network Group on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Phoenix Education Partners

Our Mission To provide access to higher education opportunities that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the performance of their organizations and provide leadership and service to their communities. We are a mission-driven organization operating at the forefront of the rapidly evolving post-secondary education market. As one of the largest online education providers and a pioneer in our field, we benefit from the dynamic interplay between technological innovation, education, employment and economic trends. The demands of the modern workforce are continually shifting, and we are focused on transforming the way individuals achieve their educational and career aspirations while balancing the unique demands of being an adult learner. We are focused on delivering a personalized, career-relevant and affordable education to our students through our flexible learning model, skills-aligned curriculum and accessible tuition costs. We have created purpose-built platforms that leverage an artificial intelligence (“AI”)-ready data infrastructure and technology stack to enhance the student experience, increase student success and improve the connectivity between students, educators and employers. The University of Phoenix was founded in 1976 and has been continuously accredited since 1978 by the Higher Learning Commission (“HLC”), an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. In our nearly five decades of operation, we have served more than 1.1 million alumni (including those who have completed non-degree certificates) and conferred nearly 1.3 million degrees. According to Forbes, we were the university with the highest number of graduates employed at the top 20 Fortune 500 companies as of September 2021. Our student body consists primarily of working adults seeking to advance their careers. Adult learners represent an attractive and growing sub-segment of the higher education market. However, they face unique challenges that are not addressed by traditional programs designed for 18- to 22-year-olds, including the time constraints and responsibilities of work, community and caring for dependents. As a result, these students can significantly benefit from an education solution tailored to their needs. We are dedicated to these adult learners, and we are constantly evolving the flexible, asynchronous learning models and the robust technology solutions designed to meet their unique needs. We believe we provide a differentiated value proposition to both students and employers. Both inside and outside of the classroom, our purpose is to help our students achieve their educational and career goals and to assist employers in upskilling their employees. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2024, the University’s Average Total Degreed Enrollment was 78,900, including 64,100 undergraduate and 14,800 graduate students. During the first nine months of fiscal year 2025, Average Total Degreed Enrollment increased to 82,700. Students either enroll at the University independently or have the option to enroll through one of our more than 2,500 employer relationships. Many of our students receive discounted tuition benefits under programs offered through our employer relationships, which are classified as business-to-business, or “B2B,” enrollment. These include students who enroll in the University through employer-provided programs, as well as students who enroll independently but are employees of employers with whom we have an employer relationship. We view B2B enrollments as a significant opportunity for further growth. B2B enrollments represented 13,300 Average Total Degreed Enrollment (20% of the University’s Average Total Degreed Enrollment) in fiscal year 2022 and 23,300 Average Total Degreed Enrollment (30% of the University’s Average Total Degreed Enrollment) in fiscal year 2024, reflecting a 32% CAGR. The University currently offers 72 degree-granting and 33 non-degree certificate programs across a wide range of disciplines. Our degree-granting programs represented approximately 97% of our net revenue for fiscal year 2024 and serve a diverse set of students who are seeking to improve their career opportunities: Average Total Degreed Enrollment by degree type for fiscal year 2024: • Bachelor’s: 70% • Master’s: 16% • Associate’s: 11% • Doctoral: 3% Degree completions by discipline for fiscal year 2024: • Business and IT: 63% • Health Professions: 15% • Social and Behavioral Sciences: 12% • Education: 4% • Nursing: 4% • Doctoral Studies: 2% • General Studies: less than 1% Of the University’s enrollment during fiscal year 2024, subject to data availability for each metric: • 76% are currently employed; • 95% of new students are over the age of 22, with an average age of 37; • 64% care for dependents at home; • 61% are first-generation college students; • 62% of students who completed an optional survey identify as members of a minority group; and • 71% are female. Our non-degree offerings for students and employers represent the remaining portion of net revenue and are a growing priority for the University. These non-degree offerings include shorter credit-bearing certificates and non-credit professional development courses that provide students with critical skills for career advancement and benefit employers by upskilling their employees. We are also developing new talent solutions programs for employers, including: (i) Talent Source, a talent-sourcing platform that connects employers with students whose skills profiles align with job postings and (ii) Skillmore, an AI-powered tool that scans an employer’s inventory of sought-after skills and designs development pathways to internal job opportunities. We were organized under the laws of the State of Delaware as a limited partnership on January 9, 2014 and will be converted to a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware prior to closing of this offering as part of the Reorganization Transactions. Our principal executive offices are located in Phoenix, AZ.

About Zeta Network Group

Color Star Technology Co., Ltd., an entertainment and education company, provides online entertainment performances and music education services in the United States and China. The company operates Color World, an online platform of curriculum that includes music, sports, animation, painting and calligraphy, film and television, life skills, etc. Its Color World platform provides celebrity lectures, celebrity concert videos, celebrity peripheral products, and artist interactive communication services. The company was formerly known as Huitao Technology Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Color Star Technology Co., Ltd. in May 2020. Color Star Technology Co., Ltd. was founded in 2002 and is based in New York, New York.