Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA) is one of 32 public companies in the “Cable & other pay television services” industry, but how does it compare to its competitors? We will compare Liberty Global to similar businesses based on the strength of its institutional ownership, risk, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends and valuation.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Liberty Global and its competitors top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Net Income | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Liberty Global | $15.05 billion | -$2.78 billion | -14.07 |
| Liberty Global Competitors | $12.86 billion | $1.94 billion | 56.03 |
Liberty Global has higher revenue, but lower earnings than its competitors. Liberty Global is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.
Profitability
This table compares Liberty Global and its competitors’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Liberty Global | -15.83% | -21.22% | -3.59% |
| Liberty Global Competitors | 1,300.24% | 29.22% | 4.79% |
Risk and Volatility
Liberty Global has a beta of 1.61, indicating that its share price is 61% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Liberty Global’s competitors have a beta of 1.23, indicating that their average share price is 23% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
23.5% of Liberty Global shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 54.2% of shares of all “Cable & other pay television services” companies are held by institutional investors. 3.9% of Liberty Global shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 10.9% of shares of all “Cable & other pay television services” companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Liberty Global and its competitors, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Liberty Global | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 2.79 |
| Liberty Global Competitors | 298 | 1480 | 2280 | 75 | 2.52 |
Liberty Global currently has a consensus price target of $42.05, indicating a potential upside of 30.49%. As a group, “Cable & other pay television services” companies have a potential upside of 21.75%. Given Liberty Global’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Liberty Global is more favorable than its competitors.
Summary
Liberty Global competitors beat Liberty Global on 8 of the 13 factors compared.
Liberty Global Company Profile
Liberty Global plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides video, broadband Internet, fixed-line telephony, mobile, and other communications services to residential customers and businesses in Europe. It offers video services, including digital video programming and audio services starting with a basic video service, video-on-demand, electronic programming guide, various premium channel packages, digital video recorders, various mobile applications, and set-top boxes. The company provides entertainment, sports, movies, documentaries, lifestyles, news, adult, children, and ethnic and foreign channels. It also offers Wi-Fi and Internet services, such as email, address book, and parental controls; security; online storage solutions and Web spaces; and Connect Box, a connectivity device that delivers in-home Wi-Fi coverage. Additionally, it offers community Wi-Fi via routers in home, which provides access to the Internet; public Wi-Fi access points in train stations, hotels, bars, restaurants, and other public places. In addition, the company provides circuit-switched telephony services; and mobile services comprising voice, short message service, and Internet access. Further, it offers voice, advanced data, video, wireless, cloud-based services, and mobile and converged fixed-mobile services to small or home offices, small businesses, and medium and large enterprises, as well as on a wholesale basis to other operators. Liberty Global plc was founded in 2004 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.
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