Reviewing Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) and Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD)

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) and Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership and risk.

Risk & Volatility

Ziff Davis has a beta of 1.46, indicating that its stock price is 46% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Match Group has a beta of 1.32, indicating that its stock price is 32% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

99.8% of Ziff Davis shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.1% of Match Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.2% of Ziff Davis shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Match Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Ziff Davis and Match Group”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ziff Davis	$1.45 billion	0.73	$63.05 million	$1.10	24.40
Match Group	$3.49 billion	2.12	$613.45 million	$2.38	13.18

Match Group has higher revenue and earnings than Ziff Davis. Match Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ziff Davis, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Ziff Davis and Match Group, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ziff Davis	1	5	3	0	2.22
Match Group	0	11	5	0	2.31

Ziff Davis presently has a consensus target price of $37.38, indicating a potential upside of 39.25%. Match Group has a consensus target price of $35.86, indicating a potential upside of 14.27%. Given Ziff Davis’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Ziff Davis is more favorable than Match Group.

Profitability

This table compares Ziff Davis and Match Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ziff Davis	3.26%	13.06%	6.65%
Match Group	17.59%	-289.29%	15.37%

Summary

Match Group beats Ziff Davis on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ziff Davis

Ziff Davis, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media and internet company in the United States and internationally. The company offers PCMag, an online resource for laboratory-based product reviews, technology news, buying guides, and research papers; Mashable for publishing technology and culture content; Spiceworks Ziff Davis provides digital content of IT products and services; retailMeNot, a savings destination platform; Offers.com, a coupon and deals website; and event-based properties, including BlackFriday.com, TheBlackFriday.com, BestBlackFriday.com, and DealsofAmerica.com. It also offers gaming and entertainment content under the IGN Entertainment and Humble Bundle brands; and information on internet connectivity under the Ookla, Ekahau, Downdetector, and RootMetrics brands. The company also offers digital content and information services for health and wellness consumers under the Everyday Health, DailyOM, Lose It!, Diabetes Daily, Castle Connolly, and Migraine Again brands; pregnancy and parenting content under the BabyCenter, Emma's Diary, and What to Expect brands; and Medpage Today that delivers medical news. In addition, the company offers PRIME Education, a medical education program for healthcare professionals; and Health eCareers, a digital portal for healthcare professionals. Further, it provides endpoint and email security, security awareness training, secure backup and file sharing, and virtual private network solutions under the IPVanish, VIPRE, Livedrive, Inspired eLearning, and SugarSync brands; and email marketing and delivery solutions, search engine optimization tools, and voice and text communication services under the Campaigner, iContact, SMTP, Kickbox, MOZ Pro, MOZ Local, Stat Analytics, eVoice, and Line2 brands. The company was formerly known as j2 Global, Inc. and changed its name to Ziff Davis, Inc. in October 2021. Ziff Davis, Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

About Match Group

Match Group, Inc. engages in the provision of dating products. Its portfolio of brands includes Tinder, Hinge, Match, Meetic, OkCupid, Pairs, Plenty Of Fish, Azar, BLK, and Hakuna, as well as a various other brands, each built to increase users' likelihood of connecting with others. Its services are available in over 40 languages to users worldwide. The company was incorporated in 1986 and is based in Dallas, Texas.