Analyzing Meta Data (NYSE:AIU) & TAL Education Group (NYSE:TAL)

Meta Data (NYSE:AIU) and TAL Education Group (NYSE:TAL) are both industrial products companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk and valuation.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Meta Data and TAL Education Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Meta Data	0	0	0	0	N/A
TAL Education Group	0	0	4	0	3.00

TAL Education Group has a consensus price target of $12.37, suggesting a potential upside of 7.54%. Given TAL Education Group’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe TAL Education Group is more favorable than Meta Data.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

0.4% of Meta Data shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 37.8% of TAL Education Group shares are held by institutional investors. 12.7% of Meta Data shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of TAL Education Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Meta Data and TAL Education Group’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Meta Data	$32.43 million	1.79	$694.49 million	N/A	N/A
TAL Education Group	$1.02 billion	7.10	-$135.61 million	($0.11)	-103.18

Meta Data has higher earnings, but lower revenue than TAL Education Group.

Risk & Volatility

Meta Data has a beta of 0.35, meaning that its stock price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, TAL Education Group has a beta of 0.18, meaning that its stock price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Meta Data and TAL Education Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Meta Data	N/A	N/A	N/A
TAL Education Group	-5.30%	-1.93%	-1.49%

Summary

Meta Data beats TAL Education Group on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Meta Data

Meta Data Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates K-12 after-school education platform that focuses on young children mathematics training services and FasTrack English services in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company's products include Artificial Intelligent Education (AIE), a smart training system incorporating virtual reality, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other technologies to facilitate the teaching and training process; Artificial Intelligent Universe (AIU), provides software and hardware infrastructure (IAAS) to Metaverse business operators or individual users targeted to improve the accessibility of rendering modes through cloud computing and edge computing algorithms and computing power to improve the virtual world; and smart ID card services. It also provides technical services, including simulation teaching modules, 3D teaching modules, virtual reality modules, etc. for smart education business operation service providers, as well as digital services; project completion inspection services; and customer acceptance services. The company was formerly known as OneSmart International Education Group Limited and changed its name to Meta Data Limited in April 2022. Meta Data Limited was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Sha Tin, Hong Kong.

About TAL Education Group

TAL Education Group provides K-12 after-school tutoring services in the People's Republic of China. The company offers tutoring services to K-12 students covering various academic subjects, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, political science, English, and Chinese. It provides tutoring services primarily through small-class services under the Xueersi, Xueersi Online School, First Leap, Tipaipai, Xiaohou AI, Xiaohoucode, Aiqidao, Mamabang, Kaoyanbang, and Shunshunliuxue brand names; and personalized premium services under Izhikang name. The company also operates jzb.com, an online education platform; provides investment management and consulting services; develops and sells software and networks, as well as related consulting services; and sells educational materials and products. TAL Education Group was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.