Criteo (NASDAQ:CRTO – Get Free Report) and USA Today (NYSE:TDAY – Get Free Report) 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 analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, earnings and profitability.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Criteo and USA Today, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Criteo | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2.33 |
| USA Today | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2.50 |
Criteo presently has a consensus target price of $20.85, suggesting a potential upside of 19.62%. USA Today has a consensus target price of $9.50, suggesting a potential upside of 38.28%. Given USA Today’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe USA Today is more favorable than Criteo.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
94.3% of Criteo shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.7% of USA Today shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of Criteo shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.4% of USA Today shares are owned 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.
Profitability
This table compares Criteo and USA Today’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Criteo | 3.99% | 10.88% | 6.15% |
| USA Today | -0.26% | -1.05% | -0.09% |
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, USA Today has a beta of 1.52, suggesting that its stock price is 52% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Criteo and USA Today”s top-line 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 | 12.63 |
| USA Today | $2.30 billion | 0.44 | $1.75 million | ($0.06) | -114.50 |
Criteo has higher earnings, but lower revenue than USA Today. USA Today is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Criteo, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Criteo beats USA Today on 7 of the 13 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 USA Today
USA TODAY Co. is a media company that produces national and local journalism across print and digital channels. Its brands include USA TODAY and a network of local news outlets, alongside websites, mobile apps, newsletters and other digital products. The company also provides marketing and advertising services and operates events and other audience-focused offerings. Its publishing operations serve communities across the United States and include Newsquest, a news publisher in the United Kingdom.
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