Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) & Hengan International Group (OTCMKTS:HEGIY) Critical Comparison

Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) and Hengan International Group (OTCMKTS:HEGIY) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, dividends and earnings.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

38.5% of Barnes & Noble Education shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of Hengan International Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Barnes & Noble Education shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Barnes & Noble Education and Hengan International Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Barnes & Noble Education	$1.61 billion	0.19	-$65.82 million	($0.28)	-32.70
Hengan International Group	$3.15 billion	1.30	$319.73 million	N/A	N/A

Hengan International Group has higher revenue and earnings than Barnes & Noble Education.

Risk and Volatility

Barnes & Noble Education has a beta of 1.37, suggesting that its stock price is 37% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Hengan International Group has a beta of 0.13, suggesting that its stock price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Barnes & Noble Education and Hengan International Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Barnes & Noble Education	1	0	0	0	1.00
Hengan International Group	0	0	0	0	0.00

Profitability

This table compares Barnes & Noble Education and Hengan International Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Barnes & Noble Education	-0.56%	-22.09%	-6.22%
Hengan International Group	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Hengan International Group beats Barnes & Noble Education on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Barnes & Noble Education

Barnes and Noble Education, Inc. engages in the management and operation of bookstore chains in universities. It operates through the Retail and Wholesale segments. The Retail segment operates college, university, and K-12 school bookstores, physical bookstores, and virtual bookstores. The Wholesale segment sells and distributes new and used textbooks to physical bookstores. The company was founded by Leonard S, Riggio in 1965 and is headquartered in Basking Ridge, NJ.

About Hengan International Group

Hengan International Group Company Limited, an investment holding company, manufactures, distributes, and sells personal hygiene products in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company offers pocket handkerchiefs, box and soft tissue papers, kitchen towels/papers, toilet rolls, first-aid products, enema, garbage and food bags, preservation papers, table cloths and disposable toilet brush, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, overnight pants, wet tissues, maternal and child care products, adult and baby diapers, and cleansing products. It is also involved in the trading of various products for ladies, pregnant women, infants, and kids, as well as disposable fiber-based products; and engages in the ecommerce business. In addition, the company manufactures and distributes heat and power; and manufactures, distributes, and sells gas, protective equipment, medical instrument, skin care products, antiseptics, and household products. Hengan International Group Company Limited was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Jinjiang, the People's Republic of China.