National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) and Pop Culture Group (NASDAQ:CPOP) Critical Contrast

Pop Culture Group (NASDAQ:CPOP) and National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) are both small-cap business services companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, valuation, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Pop Culture Group and National CineMedia”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Pop Culture Group	$107.63 million	0.05	-$6.89 million	N/A	N/A
National CineMedia	$240.80 million	1.26	-$22.30 million	($0.15)	-21.53

Pop Culture Group has higher earnings, but lower revenue than National CineMedia.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

69.5% of National CineMedia shares are held by institutional investors. 24.9% of Pop Culture Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of National CineMedia shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Pop Culture Group and National CineMedia, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Pop Culture Group	1	0	0	0	1.00
National CineMedia	1	3	3	0	2.29

National CineMedia has a consensus price target of $5.80, indicating a potential upside of 79.57%. Given National CineMedia’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe National CineMedia is more favorable than Pop Culture Group.

Volatility & Risk

Pop Culture Group has a beta of 1.77, indicating that its stock price is 77% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, National CineMedia has a beta of 1.38, indicating that its stock price is 38% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Pop Culture Group and National CineMedia’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Pop Culture Group	N/A	N/A	N/A
National CineMedia	-6.39%	-2.67%	-1.99%

About Pop Culture Group

Pop Culture Group Co., Ltd hosts entertainment events to corporate clients in China. The company hosts concerts and hip-hop related events, including stage plays, dance competitions, cultural and musical festivals, and promotional parties, as well as creates hip-hop related online programs; and provides event planning and execution services comprising communication, planning, design, production, reception, execution, and analysis services to advertising and media service providers, industry associations, and companies in a range of industries, such as consumer goods, real estate, tourism, entertainment, technology, e-commerce, education, and sports. It also offers marketing services, including brand promotion, such as trademark and logo design, visual identity system design, brand positioning and personality design, and digital solutions; and other services, including digital collection sales, music recording services, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) software services, and advertisement distribution services to corporate clients. The company was incorporated in 2020 and is headquartered in Xiamen, China. Pop Culture Group Co., Ltd is a subsidiary of Joya Enterprises Limited.

About National CineMedia

National CineMedia, Inc., through its subsidiary, National CineMedia, LLC, operates cinema advertising network in North America. It engages in the sale of advertising to national, regional, and local businesses in Noovie, a cinema advertising and entertainment show seen on movie screens; and sells advertising on its Lobby Entertainment Network, a series of strategically-placed screens located in movie theater lobbies, as well as other forms of advertising and promotions in theatre lobbies. The company also sells online and mobile advertising through its Noovie Audience Accelerator product across a suite of Noovie digital properties, such as Name That Movie and Noovie Trivia app to reach entertainment audiences beyond the theater. It offers its services to third-party theater circuits under long-term network affiliate agreements. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado.