Analyzing ITV (OTC:ITVPY) and Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA)

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) and ITV (OTC:ITVPY) are both mid-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, earnings and profitability.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Liberty Global and ITV, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Liberty Global	1	4	3	0	2.25
ITV	0	0	0	0	0.00

Liberty Global currently has a consensus price target of $17.75, indicating a potential upside of 54.08%. Given Liberty Global’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Liberty Global is more favorable than ITV.

Risk & Volatility

Liberty Global has a beta of 1.24, meaning that its stock price is 24% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ITV has a beta of 1.5, meaning that its stock price is 50% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Liberty Global and ITV’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Liberty Global	23.09%	9.83%	4.49%
ITV	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

37.2% of Liberty Global shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 51.4% of ITV shares are held by institutional investors. 11.5% of Liberty Global shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of ITV shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Liberty Global and ITV”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Liberty Global	$4.34 billion	0.93	-$4.05 billion	$4.19	2.75
ITV	$4.50 billion	0.81	$261.22 million	N/A	N/A

ITV has higher revenue and earnings than Liberty Global.

Summary

Liberty Global beats ITV on 8 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides broadband internet, video, fixed-line telephony, and mobile communications services to residential and business customers. It offers value-added broadband services, such as WiFi features, security, anti-virus, firewall, spam protection, smart home services, online storage solutions, and web spaces; and Connect Box that delivers in-home Wi-Fi service. The company provides various tiers of digital video programming and audio services, as well as digital video recorders and multimedia home gateway systems; Horizon 5, a cloud-based, multi-screen entertainment platform that combines linear television, including recording and replay features and video-on-demand services; Horizon Go, an online mobile app; and channels, including general entertainment, sports, movies, series, documentaries, lifestyles, news, adult, children, and ethnic and foreign channels. In addition, it offers postpaid and prepaid mobile services; circuit-switched telephony services; and personal call manager, unified messaging, and a second or third phone line at an incremental cost. Further, the company offers business services comprising voice, advanced data, video, wireless, cloud-based services, and mobile and converged fixed-mobile services to small or home offices, small businesses, and medium and large enterprises, as well as on a wholesale basis to other operators. It operates in Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland, Slovakia, and internationally. Liberty Global Ltd. was founded in 2004 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

About ITV

ITV plc, an integrated production, broadcasting, and streaming company, which creates, owns, and distributes content on various platforms worldwide. It operates through ITV Studios and Media & Entertainment segments. The ITV Studios segment creates and produces programs and formats that include sports, drama, entertainment, factual, and news for its own channels and other broadcasters. The segment also operates as an unscripted independent producer of content in the United States; and produces content for local broadcasters and international OTT platforms in Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. In addition, this segment engages in licensing its finished programmes, formats, and third-party content internationally, as well as finances productions. The Media & Entertainment segment broadcasts and streams various contents on its family of free-to-air TV channels; and offers television advertising services. The company also delivers content through linear television broadcasting, as well as on the ITV Hub, BritBox UK, ITVX, catch up services on pay platforms, and through direct content deals. In addition, this segment offers online advertising, HD digital channel on pay platform, and ITV Premium subscription services. The company was founded in 1955 is based in London, the United Kingdom.