Reading International (NASDAQ:RDI) vs. CuriosityStream (NASDAQ:CURI) Financial Analysis

CuriosityStream (NASDAQ:CURI) and Reading International (NASDAQ:RDI) are both small-cap communication services companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability and earnings.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

6.8% of CuriosityStream shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 44.7% of Reading International shares are held by institutional investors. 31.1% of CuriosityStream shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 32.4% of Reading International shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for CuriosityStream and Reading International, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
CuriosityStream	0	1	2	2	3.20
Reading International	1	0	0	0	1.00

CuriosityStream presently has a consensus target price of $5.50, suggesting a potential upside of 105.61%. Given CuriosityStream’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe CuriosityStream is more favorable than Reading International.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares CuriosityStream and Reading International”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
CuriosityStream	$71.66 million	2.22	-$6.43 million	$0.01	267.50
Reading International	$202.99 million	0.24	-$14.14 million	($0.55)	-3.84

CuriosityStream has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Reading International. Reading International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CuriosityStream, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares CuriosityStream and Reading International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
CuriosityStream	0.03%	0.06%	0.03%
Reading International	-5.87%	N/A	-2.91%

Volatility & Risk

CuriosityStream has a beta of 1.76, indicating that its stock price is 76% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Reading International has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

CuriosityStream beats Reading International on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About CuriosityStream

CuriosityStream Inc. operates as a factual content streaming service and media company. The company provides premium video and audio programming services in various categories of factual entertainment, including science, history, society, nature, lifestyle, and technology through direct subscription video on-demand (SVoD) platforms accessible by internet connected devices, or indirectly via distribution partners who deliver CuriosityStream content via distributor's platform or system, as well as through bundled content licenses for SVoD and linear offerings, talks and courses, and partner bulk sales. It offers streaming content through devices, including televisions, set-top boxes, computers, streaming media players, game consoles, and mobile devices. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in Silver Spring, Maryland.

About Reading International

Reading International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, focuses on the ownership, development, and operation of entertainment and real property assets in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. The company operates in two segments, Cinema Exhibition and Real Estate. The Cinema Exhibition segment operates multiplex cinemas. This segment operates its cinema exhibition businesses under the Reading Cinemas, Consolidated Theatres, Angelika Film Center, State Cinema by Angelika, Angelika Anywhere, Event Cinemas, and Rialto Cinemas brands. The Real Estate segment develops, rents, or licenses retail, commercial, and live theater assets. Reading International, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in New York, New York.