TheStreet (NASDAQ:TST) and Tribune Publishing (NASDAQ:TPCO) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, risk and earnings.
Risk and Volatility
TheStreet has a beta of 0.52, indicating that its stock price is 48% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Tribune Publishing has a beta of 1.67, indicating that its stock price is 67% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares TheStreet and Tribune Publishing’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| TheStreet | 49.30% | 2.33% | 1.38% |
| Tribune Publishing | 18.92% | 6.90% | 2.11% |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
52.2% of TheStreet shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 38.4% of Tribune Publishing shares are owned by institutional investors. 30.0% of TheStreet shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of Tribune Publishing shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares TheStreet and Tribune Publishing’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| TheStreet | $62.47 million | 1.65 | $2.62 million | $0.08 | 26.00 |
| Tribune Publishing | $1.52 billion | 0.26 | $5.53 million | $1.08 | 10.40 |
Tribune Publishing has higher revenue and earnings than TheStreet. Tribune Publishing is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than TheStreet, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent recommendations for TheStreet and Tribune Publishing, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| TheStreet | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Tribune Publishing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
TheStreet currently has a consensus target price of $3.00, suggesting a potential upside of 44.23%. Given TheStreet’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe TheStreet is more favorable than Tribune Publishing.
Summary
TheStreet beats Tribune Publishing on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
TheStreet Company Profile
TheStreet, Inc., a financial news and information provider, provides business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) content and products worldwide. The company operates through three segments: TheDeal/BoardEx, RateWatch, and Business to Consumer. Its B2B products include The Deal, a digital subscription model that delivers coverage primarily to institutional investors on changes in corporate control comprising merges and acquisitions, private equity, corporate activism, and restructuring; and BoardEx, an institutional relationship capital management database and platform, which holds profiles of approximately 1 million business leaders. The company’s B2B products also consist of RateWatch, which publishes bank rate market information, such as competitive deposit, loan, and fee rate data for financial institutions, government agencies, academic researchers, banks, credit unions, and other commercial organizations. Its RateWatch product also offers banking-related product and fee comparisons, financial strength reporting, educational Webinars, mystery shopping, and consumer and financial institution surveys. The company’s B2C products comprise TheStreet.com, an advertising-supported digital platform that provides business news and market analysis to individual investors; RealMoney and RealMoney Pro, which offer market commentary and analysis for active market participants and self-directed investors; and Action Alerts PLUS that teaches consumers on how to manage money for long term. TheStreet, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Tribune Publishing Company Profile
Tribune Publishing Company, a media company, publishes newspapers worldwide. The company operates in two segments, troncM and troncX. It publishes daily newspapers; weekly newspapers; and digital platforms, such as Websites and mobile applications. The company also provides various digital marketing services, which include the development of mobile Websites, search engine marketing and optimization, social media account management, and content marketing for its customers’ Web presence for small to medium size businesses. In addition, it offers TCA, a syndication and licensing business that provides daily news service and syndicated premium content to 1,700 media and digital information publishers; and forsalebyowner.com, a national consumer-to-consumer focused real estate Website. The company was formerly known as tronc, Inc. and changed its name to Tribune Publishing Company in October 2018. Tribune Publishing Company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
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