Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) and DISH Network (NASDAQ:DISH) are both large-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability and risk.
Profitability
This table compares Liberty Global and DISH Network's net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets |
|---|
| Liberty Global | -17.20% | -15.47% | -4.08% |
| DISH Network | 10.01% | 11.81% | 4.16% |
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Liberty Global and DISH Network, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score |
|---|
| Liberty Global | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 2.57 |
| DISH Network | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2.38 |
Liberty Global presently has a consensus price target of $31.5846, indicating a potential upside of 22.18%. DISH Network has a consensus price target of $37.80, indicating a potential downside of 0.32%. Given Liberty Global's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Liberty Global is more favorable than DISH Network.
Volatility & Risk
Liberty Global has a beta of 1.34, meaning that its stock price is 34% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, DISH Network has a beta of 2, meaning that its stock price is 100% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
24.6% of Liberty Global shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 42.5% of DISH Network shares are held by institutional investors. 8.1% of Liberty Global shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 53.5% of DISH Network shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Liberty Global and DISH Network's gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio |
|---|
| Liberty Global | $11.54 billion | 1.29 | $11.52 billion | ($2.16) | -11.97 |
| DISH Network | $12.81 billion | 1.56 | $1.40 billion | $2.60 | 14.58 |
Liberty Global has higher earnings, but lower revenue than DISH Network. Liberty Global is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than DISH Network, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
DISH Network beats Liberty Global on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
