Analyzing Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) and Hengan International Group (OTCMKTS:HEGIY)

Hengan International Group (OTCMKTS:HEGIY) and Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations and risk.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Hengan International Group and Barnes & Noble Education, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hengan International Group	0	0	0	0	0.00
Barnes & Noble Education	1	0	0	0	1.00

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Hengan International Group and Barnes & Noble Education”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Hengan International Group	$3.15 billion	1.31	$319.73 million	N/A	N/A
Barnes & Noble Education	$1.61 billion	0.19	-$65.82 million	($0.28)	-32.16

Hengan International Group has higher revenue and earnings than Barnes & Noble Education.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

0.0% of Hengan International Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 38.5% of Barnes & Noble Education shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Barnes & Noble Education shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk & Volatility

Hengan International Group has a beta of 0.13, suggesting that its share price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Barnes & Noble Education has a beta of 1.37, suggesting that its share price is 37% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Hengan International Group and Barnes & Noble Education’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hengan International Group	N/A	N/A	N/A
Barnes & Noble Education	-0.56%	-22.09%	-6.22%

Summary

Hengan International Group beats Barnes & Noble Education on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Hengan International Group

Hengan International Group Company Limited, an investment holding company, manufactures, distributes, and sells personal hygiene products in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company offers pocket handkerchiefs, box and soft tissue papers, kitchen towels/papers, toilet rolls, first-aid products, enema, garbage and food bags, preservation papers, table cloths and disposable toilet brush, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, overnight pants, wet tissues, maternal and child care products, adult and baby diapers, and cleansing products. It is also involved in the trading of various products for ladies, pregnant women, infants, and kids, as well as disposable fiber-based products; and engages in the ecommerce business. In addition, the company manufactures and distributes heat and power; and manufactures, distributes, and sells gas, protective equipment, medical instrument, skin care products, antiseptics, and household products. Hengan International Group Company Limited was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Jinjiang, the People's Republic of China.

About Barnes & Noble Education

Barnes and Noble Education, Inc. engages in the management and operation of bookstore chains in universities. It operates through the Retail and Wholesale segments. The Retail segment operates college, university, and K-12 school bookstores, physical bookstores, and virtual bookstores. The Wholesale segment sells and distributes new and used textbooks to physical bookstores. The company was founded by Leonard S, Riggio in 1965 and is headquartered in Basking Ridge, NJ.