Head-To-Head Contrast: Criteo (NASDAQ:CRTO) versus E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP)

Criteo (NASDAQ:CRTO) and E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) are both small-cap communication services companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, risk and dividends.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Criteo and E.W. Scripps”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Criteo	$1.94 billion	0.44	$144.60 million	$1.38	12.71
E.W. Scripps	$2.11 billion	0.17	-$100.88 million	($13.18)	-0.29

Criteo has higher earnings, but lower revenue than E.W. Scripps. E.W. Scripps is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Criteo, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Criteo and E.W. Scripps’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Criteo	3.99%	10.88%	6.15%
E.W. Scripps	-54.15%	12.25%	0.75%

Risk and Volatility

Criteo has a beta of 0.35, suggesting that its stock price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, E.W. Scripps has a beta of 0.71, suggesting that its stock price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

94.3% of Criteo shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 67.8% of E.W. Scripps shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of Criteo shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 5.2% of E.W. Scripps shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Criteo and E.W. Scripps, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Criteo	2	4	6	0	2.33
E.W. Scripps	1	3	1	0	2.00

Criteo currently has a consensus price target of $20.85, indicating a potential upside of 18.87%. E.W. Scripps has a consensus price target of $5.90, indicating a potential upside of 55.06%. Given E.W. Scripps’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe E.W. Scripps is more favorable than Criteo.

Summary

Criteo beats E.W. Scripps on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Criteo

Criteo is a global commerce media company that provides advertising technology to brands, retailers and media owners. Its platform uses commerce data and artificial intelligence to help businesses plan, deliver and measure digital advertising across websites, apps and other channels. Criteo’s offerings include Performance Media solutions for advertisers and Retail Media services that help retailers build and manage advertising programs. The company also works with publishers and other media owners to connect advertising demand with relevant audiences.

About E.W. Scripps

The E.W. Scripps Company is a U.S. media company focused on local television broadcasting and national television networks. Its local stations provide news, weather, sports and other programming to communities across the country. Scripps also operates national networks, including ION, Bounce, Grit, Laff, Court TV and Scripps News. These services offer a range of programming, from entertainment and sports to news and courtroom coverage, through broadcast and other distribution platforms. Founded in 1878 by newspaper publisher Edward Willis Scripps, the company developed from a newspaper business into a broadcaster and expanded its national television operations over time.