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

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

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares MediaCo and John Wiley & Sons”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
MediaCo	$139.42 million	0.59	-$69.74 million	($0.83)	-1.19
John Wiley & Sons	$1.68 billion	1.52	$221.62 million	$3.78	13.30

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.

Volatility & Risk

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

Analyst Recommendations

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

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

Institutional & Insider Ownership

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

Profitability

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

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

Summary

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

About MediaCo

MediaCo Holding, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDIA) is a media company focused on audio broadcasting and digital content. The company owns and operates radio stations serving the New York metropolitan area, including WQHT-FM, known as HOT 97, and WBLS-FM. Its stations provide music, news, talk, entertainment and culturally focused programming for local and regional audiences. MediaCo also develops related digital content and generates revenue through advertising, sponsorships, branded programming and events connected with its media properties.

About John Wiley & Sons

John Wiley & Sons, known as Wiley, is a global publishing and knowledge-services company. Founded in 1807 by Charles Wiley in New York, it has grown from a book publisher into a provider of research, education and professional-development resources. The company publishes scholarly journals, books and digital content across areas including science, technology, medicine, social sciences and the humanities. Its offerings also include online learning and assessment tools, professional training, and services that support research publishing and scholarly communication.