Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR) and Harte Hanks (NASDAQ:HHS) Head-To-Head Survey

Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR) and Harte Hanks (NASDAQ:HHS) are both communication services companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Charter Communications and Harte Hanks”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Charter Communications	$54.40 billion	0.24	$4.99 billion	$38.51	2.82
Harte Hanks	$159.57 million	0.21	-$810,000.00	($0.76)	-5.84

Charter Communications has higher revenue and earnings than Harte Hanks. Harte Hanks is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Charter Communications, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Charter Communications and Harte Hanks, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Charter Communications	7	10	5	0	1.91
Harte Hanks	1	0	0	0	1.00

Charter Communications presently has a consensus target price of $202.53, indicating a potential upside of 86.42%. Given Charter Communications’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Charter Communications is more favorable than Harte Hanks.

Profitability

This table compares Charter Communications and Harte Hanks’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Charter Communications	9.05%	23.71%	3.19%
Harte Hanks	-3.70%	-30.14%	-6.30%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

81.8% of Charter Communications shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 33.8% of Harte Hanks shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of Charter Communications shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 9.6% of Harte Hanks shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

Charter Communications has a beta of 0.7, indicating that its stock price is 30% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Harte Hanks has a beta of 0.17, indicating that its stock price is 83% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Charter Communications beats Harte Hanks on 13 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Charter Communications

Charter Communications, Inc. operates as a broadband connectivity and cable operator company serving residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company offers subscription-based internet, video, and mobile and voice services; a suite of broadband connectivity services, including fixed internet, WiFi, and mobile; Advanced WiFi services; Spectrum Security Shield; in-home WiFi, which provides customers with high performance wireless routers and managed WiFi services to enhance their fixed wireless internet experience; out-of-home WiFi; and Spectrum WiFi services. It also offers voice communications services using voice over internet protocol technology; and broadband communications solutions, such as internet access, data networking, fiber connectivity, video entertainment, and business telephone services to cellular towers and office buildings for business and carrier organizations. In addition, the company provides mobile services; video programming, static IP and business WiFi, voice, and e-mail and security services; sells local advertising across various platforms for networks, such as TBS, CNN, and ESPN; sells advertising inventory to local sports and news channels; and offers Audience App to create data-driven linear TV campaigns for local advertisers. Further, the company offers communications products and managed service solutions; data connectivity services to mobile and wireline carriers on a wholesale basis; and owns and operates regional sports networks and news channels. It serves approximately 32 million customers in 41 states. Charter Communications, Inc.was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

About Harte Hanks

Harte-Hanks, Inc. engages in the provision of marketing solutions. It specializes in consulting, data analytics, creative services, digital and social media, marketing strategy, marketing technology, and other related services. It supports a range of customers in the field of technology, travel and leisure, entertainment, pharmaceuticals, automotive, finance, and retail. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in San Antonio, TX.