Head-To-Head Survey: Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) & Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH)

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

Volatility & Risk

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

Analyst Ratings

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

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

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

Valuation and Earnings

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

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

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.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

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

Profitability

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

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

Summary

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

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.

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.