Comparing Gannett (NYSE:GCI) & JC Decaux (OTCMKTS:JCDXF)

Gannett (NYSE:GCI) and JC Decaux (OTCMKTS:JCDXF) are both business services companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership and earnings.

Risk & Volatility

Gannett has a beta of 2.55, meaning that its share price is 155% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, JC Decaux has a beta of 0.75, meaning that its share price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Gannett and JC Decaux, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Gannett	1	1	1	0	2.00
JC Decaux	0	2	0	1	2.67

Gannett presently has a consensus price target of $5.55, suggesting a potential upside of 21.98%. Given Gannett’s higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Gannett is more favorable than JC Decaux.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Gannett and JC Decaux”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Gannett	$2.51 billion	0.27	-$26.35 million	$0.21	21.67
JC Decaux	$3.93 billion	0.92	$280.16 million	N/A	N/A

JC Decaux has higher revenue and earnings than Gannett.

Profitability

This table compares Gannett and JC Decaux’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Gannett	4.11%	42.98%	3.97%
JC Decaux	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

76.7% of Gannett shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.2% of Gannett shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Gannett beats JC Decaux on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Gannett

Gannett Co., Inc. operates as a media and marketing solutions company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Domestic Gannett Media, Newsquest, and Digital Marketing Solutions. The company's print offerings includes home delivery on a subscription basis; single copy; non-daily publications, such as shoppers and niche publications. It also provides digital-only subscription, including local media brands, USA TODAY NETWORK community events platform, magazines, sports, and games; and E-newspapers; and digital advertising and marketing services. In addition, the company offers digital news and media brands; daily and weekly newspapers; digital marketing solutions, such as online presence solutions, online advertising products, conversion software, and cloud-based software solutions; commercial printing and distribution services; and prints commercial materials, including flyers, business cards, and invitations. The company was formerly known as New Media Investment Group Inc. and changed its name to Gannett Co., Inc. in November 2019. Gannett Co., Inc. was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

About JC Decaux

JCDecaux SE operates as an outdoor advertising company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Street Furniture, Transport, and Billboard. The Street Furniture segment provides advertising services in shopping malls; rents street furniture; and sells and rents equipment, such as automatic public toilets, bikes, etc., as well as provides cleaning, maintenance, and other services. The Transport segment provides advertising services in public transport systems, such as airports, metros, buses, trams, and trains. The Billboard segment is involved in advertising on private property, including traditional large format or back-light billboards; neon-light billboards; and advertising wall wraps. The company was founded in 1964 and is based in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. JCDecaux SE is a subsidiary of JCDecaux Holding SAS.