Harte Hanks (NASDAQ:HHS – Get Free Report) and News (NASDAQ:NWS – Get Free Report) are both communication services companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership and valuation.
Volatility and Risk
Harte Hanks has a beta of 0.09, indicating that its stock price is 91% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, News has a beta of 0.9, indicating that its stock price is 10% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Harte Hanks and News, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Harte Hanks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
| News | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3.50 |
Valuation and Earnings
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Harte Hanks | $159.57 million | 0.20 | -$810,000.00 | ($0.76) | -5.62 |
| News | $9.03 billion | 2.03 | $573.00 million | $1.03 | 32.91 |
News has higher revenue and earnings than Harte Hanks. Harte Hanks is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than News, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
33.8% of Harte Hanks shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 14.6% of News shares are owned by institutional investors. 9.6% of Harte Hanks shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 11.1% of News shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Harte Hanks and News’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Harte Hanks | -3.70% | -30.14% | -6.30% |
| News | 6.35% | 7.09% | 4.27% |
Summary
News beats Harte Hanks on 13 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Harte Hanks
Harte-Hanks, Inc. engages in the provision of marketing solutions. It specializes in consulting, data analytics, creative services, digital and social media, marketing strategy, marketing technology, and other related services. It supports a range of customers in the field of technology, travel and leisure, entertainment, pharmaceuticals, automotive, finance, and retail. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in San Antonio, TX.
About News
News Corporation, a media and information services company, creates and distributes authoritative and engaging content, and other products and services for consumers and businesses worldwide. It operates through six segments: Digital Real Estate Services, Subscription Video Services, Dow Jones, Book Publishing, News Media, and Other. The company distributes content and data products, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch, Investor’s Business Daily, Factiva, Dow Jones Risk & Compliance, Dow Jones Newswires, and Dow Jones Energy through various media channels, such as newspapers, newswires, websites, mobile apps, newsletters, magazines, proprietary databases, live journalism, video, and podcasts. It also owns and operates Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday, weekly, and bi-weekly newspapers comprising The Australian, The Weekend Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, Herald Sun, Sunday Herald Sun, The Courier Mail, The Sunday Mail, The Advertiser, Sunday Mail, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday, The Times, The Sunday Times, and New York Post, as well as digital mastheads and other websites. In addition, the company publishes general fiction, nonfiction, children’s, and religious books; provides sports, entertainment, and news services to pay-TV and streaming subscribers, and other commercial licensees through satellite and internet distribution; and broadcasts rights to live sporting events. Further, it offers property and property-related advertising and services on its websites and mobile applications; digital real estate services; and financial services. News Corporation was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Receive News & Ratings for Harte Hanks Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Harte Hanks and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
