Financial Contrast: John Wiley & Sons (NYSE:WLY) and Boston Omaha (NYSE:BOC)

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

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
John Wiley & Sons	11.90%	27.99%	8.16%
Boston Omaha	-12.12%	-2.49%	-1.88%

Risk & Volatility

John Wiley & Sons has a beta of 0.78, meaning that its stock price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Boston Omaha has a beta of 0.65, meaning that its stock price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

73.9% of John Wiley & Sons shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 60.4% of Boston Omaha shares are owned by institutional investors. 17.6% of John Wiley & Sons shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 24.9% of Boston Omaha shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares John Wiley & Sons and Boston Omaha”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
John Wiley & Sons	$1.67 billion	1.44	$221.62 million	$3.78	12.50
Boston Omaha	$115.52 million	3.53	-$12.43 million	($0.42)	-32.23

John Wiley & Sons has higher revenue and earnings than Boston Omaha. Boston Omaha 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.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for John Wiley & Sons and Boston Omaha, as provided by MarketBeat.

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

Summary

John Wiley & Sons beats Boston Omaha on 10 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About John Wiley & Sons

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. engages in the provision of research and learning materials. It operates through the following segments: Research, Learning, and Held for Sale or Sold. The Research segment consists of research publishing and research solutions. The Learning segment includes academic and professional reporting lines and consists of publishing and related knowledge solutions. The Held for Sale or Sold segment offers businesses held-for-sale including Wiley Edge and CrossKnowledge, University Services and Tuition Manager, and Test Prep and Advancement Courses. The company was founded by Charles Wiley in 1807 and is headquartered in Hoboken, NJ.

About Boston Omaha

Boston Omaha Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the outdoor billboard advertising business in the southeast United States. It is also involved in the surety insurance and related brokerage, broadband, and asset management businesses. The company was formerly known as REO Plus, Inc. and changed its name to Boston Omaha Corporation in March 2015. Boston Omaha Corporation was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.