TDAY vs ZD vs SCHL Stock Comparison

Usa Today, Ziff Davis and Scholastic Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
TDAY USA TODAY Co., Inc.
$6.38 +0.3% 1M +56.8% 1Y
Market cap
$917.85M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$2.23B
Div. yield
–
Publishing Communication Services
1 win
ZD Ziff Davis, Inc.
$55.37 -0.6% 1M +62.8% 1Y
Market cap
$2.03B
P/E
3.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.32B
Div. yield
–
Publishing Communication Services
9 wins
SCHL Scholastic Corp
$38.84 +15.7% 1M +34.5% 1Y
Market cap
$742.30M
P/E
13.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.57B
Div. yield
0.03%
Publishing Communication Services
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Ziff Davis leads on 9 of the 12 questions below (Ziff Davis 9, Usa Today 1, Scholastic 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionTDAYZDSCHLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $917.85M $2.03B $742.30M ZD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -22.8x 3.2x 13.1x ZD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.8x 10.2x 29.2x ZD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -6.7% -0.7% -2.5% ZD
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -1.8% 48.6% 3.6% ZD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 0.0% 2.6% 1.2% ZD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.6x -2.6x 0.8x ZD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.03% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +56.8% +62.8% +34.5% ZD
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +1.9%/yr -15.5%/yr +1.4%/yr TDAY
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 48.3% 55.7% 35.3% SCHL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 45/100 88/100 54/100 ZD

Percentile Scorecard

TDAYZDSCHL

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisTDAYZDSCHL
Valuation 83 #10 of 53 98 #2 of 53 56 #24 of 53
Growth 37 #28 of 44 86 #7 of 44 33 #30 of 44
Profitability 59 #18 of 42 68 #14 of 42 51 #21 of 42
Financial Health 38 #38 of 61 88 #8 of 61 67 #21 of 61
Shareholder Returns 8 #24 of 26 100 #1 of 26 64 #10 of 26
Overall 45 88 54
  • TDAY ranked among 61 companies in Advertising and Media
  • ZD ranked among 61 companies in Advertising and Media
  • SCHL ranked among 61 companies in Advertising and Media

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodTDAYZDSCHLSPY
1 month +0.3%-0.6%+15.7% +0.9%
3 months -27.6%+2.0%-5.3% +5.9%
6 months -12.4%+18.4%-3.5% +8.5%
Year to date +23.9%+57.5%+31.1% +13.3%
1 year +56.8%+62.8%+34.5% +12.4%
3 years +183.6%-5.0%+4.4% +88.1%
3 years, per year +41.6%-1.7%+1.4% +23.5%
5 years +10.0%-56.8%+7.3% +68.2%
5 years, per year +1.9%-15.5%+1.4% +11.0%
10 years -55.3%-10.2%+2.2% +263.4%
10 years, per year -7.7%-1.1%+0.2% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureTDAYZDSCHLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 48.3%55.7%35.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 40.4%40.6%37.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.370.630.31 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.181.130.98 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -79.5%-80.1%-66.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -29.5%-6.4%-18.0% -0.9%
52-week high $9.05$59.13$47.34 $779.14
52-week low $4.07$26.51$27.00 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleTDAYZDSCHL
P/E now vs peer median -23.2xmedian 18.7x 3.1xmedian 18.7x 13.0xmedian 18.7x
P/S now vs peer median 0.4xmedian 0.6x 1.5xmedian 0.6x 0.4xmedian 0.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 3.9xmedian 10.6x 4.2xmedian 10.6x 7.8xmedian 10.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.2xmedian 8.9x 6.1xmedian 8.9x -47.5xmedian 8.9x
P/B now vs peer median 6.1xmedian 1.6x 0.9xmedian 1.6x 1.0xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median 3.30median 0.49 0.03median 0.49 0.72median 0.49

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsTDAYZDSCHL
Revenue $2.23B $1.32B $1.57B
Gross profit $880.46M $1.12B $888.70M
Operating income $252.85M $72.68M $15.20M
Net income -$40.28M $643.49M $56.60M
Free cash flow $61.59M $316.73M -$14.40M
R&D – $57.65M –
EPS (diluted) $-0.21 $17.69 $2.99
Cash & equivalents $86.66M $1.61B $106.80M
Total debt $710.15M $867.64M $184.80M
Shares (diluted) 193.95M 36.38M 18.90M
Enterprise value $580.56M -$1.18B $296.70M

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricTDAYZDSCHL
P/E -23.2x 3.1x 13.0x
P/FCF 15.2x 6.1x -47.5x
P/Operating cash flow 8.3x 4.3x 17.9x
P/S 0.4x 1.5x 0.4x
P/B 6.1x 0.9x 1.0x
P/Tangible book -6.1x 1.0x 1.2x
EV/EBITDA 3.9x 4.2x 7.8x
EV/EBIT 6.2x 16.5x 50.1x
EV/Revenue 0.7x 0.9x 0.5x
EV/FCF 25.3x 3.8x -52.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.8x 2.7x 20.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.30 0.03 0.72

Growth

14 metrics
MetricTDAYZDSCHL
Revenue growth (1Y) -6.7% -0.7% -2.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -7.2% -1.2% -2.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -4.5% -2.1% -1.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -4.8% -1.8% -0.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 329.6% -6.2% 25.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 122.1% -27.1% -38.5%
Net income growth (1Y) -134.8% 873.6% 639.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -19.2% 89.4% -0.6%
EPS growth (1Y) -135.1% 1,055% 818.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -7.0% 106.0% 18.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 14.8% 31.1% -54.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.2% 14.5% -39.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 42.6% 35.9% -134.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 18.3% -28.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricTDAYZDSCHL
Gross margin 39.5% 84.9% 56.5%
EBITDA margin 17.7% 21.5% 6.2%
Operating margin 11.3% 5.5% 1.0%
Pretax margin 3.0% -1.9% 5.6%
Net margin -1.8% 48.6% 3.6%
FCF margin 2.8% 23.9% -0.9%
Operating cash flow margin 5.1% 33.8% 2.4%
Return on equity -27.3% 33.5% 8.0%
Return on assets -2.2% 17.9% 3.3%
Return on invested capital 0.0% 2.6% 1.2%
Return on capital employed 19.5% 2.7% 1.3%
Asset turnover 1.2x 0.4x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -2.8x 0.7x 0.7x
Stock comp / revenue 0.4% 3.6% 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricTDAYZDSCHL
Debt / assets 39.7% 21.7% 10.7%
Debt / equity 4.6x 0.4x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.6x -2.6x 0.8x
Debt / FCF 11.5x 2.7x -12.8x
Liabilities / assets 91.4% 44.0% 61.9%
Equity / assets 8.6% 56.0% 38.1%
Interest coverage 2.8x – –
Current ratio 0.8x 2.2x 1.3x
Quick ratio 0.6x 2.1x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.2x 1.7x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 1.19 2.04 2.21

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricTDAYZDSCHL
Dividend yield – – 2.2%
Net buyback yield 0.3% 14.2% 38.8%
Shareholder yield 0.3% 14.2% 41.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 32.9%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – -129.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – -15.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – -11.7%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusTDAYZDSCHL
Forward P/E 22.8xFY2026 10.2xFY2026 29.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.28FY2026 $5.44FY2026 $1.33FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +366.7%FY2026 -17.9%FY2026 -28.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +3.6% +4.0% +78.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.07BFY2026 $1.15BFY2026 $1.66BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -9.9%FY2026 -20.6%FY2026 +5.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.6% +0.6% +4.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersTDAYZDSCHL
Held by institutions 95.2% 100.0% 73.2%
Institutions holding 222 267 226
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.2% -2.6% -8.2%
Institutions buying 108 116 109
Institutions selling 60 106 89
Buyers to sellers 1.80 1.09 1.22

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

TDAYZDSCHL
TDAY 1.00 0.15 0.19
ZD 0.15 1.00 0.16
SCHL 0.19 0.16 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, TDAY, ZD and SCHL?

Ziff Davis (ZD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Usa Today (TDAY) $917.85M, Ziff Davis (ZD) $2.03B, Scholastic (SCHL) $742.30M.

Which stock is cheaper, TDAY, ZD and SCHL?

Ziff Davis (ZD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Usa Today (TDAY) -22.8x, Ziff Davis (ZD) 3.2x, Scholastic (SCHL) 13.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Ziff Davis (ZD) is cheapest (Usa Today (TDAY) 22.8x, Ziff Davis (ZD) 10.2x, Scholastic (SCHL) 29.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Ziff Davis (ZD) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Usa Today (TDAY) -6.7%, Ziff Davis (ZD) -0.7%, Scholastic (SCHL) -2.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Ziff Davis (ZD) has the highest net margin (Usa Today (TDAY) -1.8%, Ziff Davis (ZD) 48.6%, Scholastic (SCHL) 3.6%). On return on invested capital, Ziff Davis (ZD) leads (Usa Today (TDAY) 0.0%, Ziff Davis (ZD) 2.6%, Scholastic (SCHL) 1.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Ziff Davis (ZD) returned the most: Usa Today (TDAY) +56.8%, Ziff Davis (ZD) +62.8%, Scholastic (SCHL) +34.5%. Over five years, Usa Today (TDAY) compounded fastest (Usa Today (TDAY) +1.9%/yr, Ziff Davis (ZD) -15.5%/yr, Scholastic (SCHL) +1.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Usa Today (TDAY) 0.00%, Ziff Davis (ZD) 0.00%, Scholastic (SCHL) 0.03%. Usa Today (TDAY) and Ziff Davis (ZD) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Scholastic (SCHL) has been the steadiest (Usa Today (TDAY) 48.3%, Ziff Davis (ZD) 55.7%, Scholastic (SCHL) 35.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, TDAY, ZD and SCHL?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Ziff Davis (ZD) leads on 9. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.