Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED – Get Free Report) and School Specialty (OTCMKTS:SCOO – Get Free Report) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, dividends and profitability.
Profitability
This table compares Barnes & Noble Education and School Specialty’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Barnes & Noble Education | 0.98% | 7.92% | 2.29% |
| School Specialty | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Barnes & Noble Education and School Specialty, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Barnes & Noble Education | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.25 |
| School Specialty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Insider & Institutional Ownership
38.5% of Barnes & Noble Education shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of Barnes & Noble Education shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 41.0% of School Specialty shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Barnes & Noble Education and School Specialty”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Barnes & Noble Education | $1.71 billion | 0.25 | $16.87 million | $0.47 | 26.70 |
| School Specialty | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Barnes & Noble Education has higher revenue and earnings than School Specialty.
Summary
Barnes & Noble Education beats School Specialty on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.
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.
About School Specialty
School Specialty, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides supplies, furniture, technology products, and curriculum solutions to the education marketplace in the United States and Canada. The company’s Distribution segment offers office products, classroom supplies, janitorial and sanitation supplies, school equipment, school and student safety and security products and services, physical education products, art supplies and paper, and others; physical education programs, solutions, resources, and equipment to improve student and staff wellness; and science education products, supplemental curriculum, and lab equipment and supplies. It also provides supplemental learning materials, teaching resources, classroom libraries, and manipulatives; intervention products; educator-inspired quality audio technology products, including multi-media, audio visual, and presentation equipment for the PreK-12 education market; and school-specific furniture and equipment for in-school, in-classroom, and outdoor use, as well as project management and design services for school refurbishment and new construction projects. This segment offers its products under the Childcraft, Sax Arts & Crafts, Califone, Classroom Select, Sportime, Abilitations, Hammond & Stephens, Brodhead Garrett, School Smart, Royal Seating, Projects by Design, CPO Science, Frey Scientific, Educator’s Publishing Service, Wordly Wise 3000, Explode the Code, ThinkMath!, SSI Guardian, Making Connections, S.P.I.R.E, Buckle Down, and Coach brands. Its Curriculum segment develops and sells standards-based curriculum science products, such as laboratory supplies and equipment, and furniture under the FOSS, Frey Scientific, Delta Science Module, Delta Education, CPO Science, and Neo/SCI brand names. The company offers its products through its sales force, catalogs, and its proprietary e-commerce Websites. School Specialty, Inc. was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Greenville, Wisconsin.
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