Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Lionsgate Studios Corp. (LION) vs News Corporation (NWSA) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | LION | 7.0% revenue growth vs NWSA's 2.4% |
| Value | NWSA | Lower P/E (22.4x vs 39.2x) |
| Quality / Margins | NWSA | 12.2% net margin vs LION's -8.8% |
| Stability / Safety | NWSA | Beta 0.78 vs LION's 0.81 |
| Dividends | NWSA | 1.4% yield; 1-year raise streak; LION pays no meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | LION | -1.1% vs NWSA's -15.3% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | NWSA | 7.0% ROA vs LION's -4.7%, ROIC 6.8% vs 3.8% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Lionsgate Studios is a major independent entertainment company that produces and distributes films and television content globally. It generates revenue primarily from film distribution (theatrical and home entertainment), television production and licensing, and its extensive content library — which includes valuable franchises like The Hunger Games and John Wick. The company's competitive advantage lies in its diversified content portfolio, valuable intellectual property franchises, and established distribution networks that allow it to operate independently of major Hollywood studios.
News Corporation is a global media and information services company that creates and distributes authoritative content across newspapers, digital platforms, books, and video services. It generates revenue primarily through digital real estate services (~30% of revenue), subscription video services (~25%), Dow Jones business information (~15%), book publishing (~15%), and news media advertising and subscriptions. The company's competitive advantage lies in its portfolio of iconic media brands—including The Wall Street Journal, The Times, and HarperCollins—which create a diversified content ecosystem with strong subscriber loyalty.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
NWSA leads in 3 of 6 categories — strongest in Financial Metrics and Profitability & Efficiency. 2 categories are tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
NWSA is the larger business by revenue, generating $8.9B annually — 3.2x LION's $2.8B. NWSA is the more profitable business, keeping 12.2% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to LION's -8.8%. On growth, NWSA holds the edge at +15.7% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | LIONLionsgate Studios… | NWSANews Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $2.8B | $8.9B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $1.1B | $1.6B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$247M | $1.1B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$79M | $652M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +23.7% | +85.5% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +2.6% | +12.1% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -8.8% | +12.2% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -2.8% | +7.4% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +1.5% | +15.7% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -8.2% | -44.7% |
Valuation Metrics
On an enterprise value basis, LION's 3.3x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than NWSA's 3.5x.
| Metric | LIONLionsgate Studios… | NWSANews Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $2.4B | $4.4B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $5.8B | $4.9B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -19.16x | 11.39x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 39.24x | 22.44x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 3.27x | 3.48x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 0.75x | 0.52x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 1.43x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | 6.03x |
Profitability & Efficiency
On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), NWSA scores 7/9 vs LION's 4/9, reflecting strong financial health.
| Metric | LIONLionsgate Studios… | NWSANews Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | — | +11.4% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -4.7% | +7.0% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +3.8% | +6.8% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +7.4% | +7.2% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 4 | 7 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.31x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $3.5B | $537M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $206M | $2.4B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $3.7B | $2.9B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -0.11x | 39.56x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in NWSA five years ago would be worth $10,482 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $7,203 for LION. Over the past 12 months, LION leads with a -1.1% total return vs NWSA's -15.3%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors NWSA at 11.9% vs LION's -10.4% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | LIONLionsgate Studios… | NWSANews Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -11.4% | -10.0% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -1.1% | -15.3% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -28.0% | +40.0% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -28.0% | +4.8% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -13.3% | +134.2% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -10.4% | +11.9% |
Risk & Volatility
NWSA is the less volatile stock with a 0.78 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than LION's 0.81 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. LION currently trades 81.7% from its 52-week high vs NWSA's 74.6% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | LIONLionsgate Studios… | NWSANews Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.81x | 0.78x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $10.09 | $31.61 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $5.55 | $22.20 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +81.7% | +74.6% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 40.1 | 38.6 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 2.6M | 3.5M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates LION as "Buy" and NWSA as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 37.4% upside for NWSA (target: $32) vs 27.4% for LION (target: $11). NWSA is the only dividend payer here at 1.38% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | LIONLionsgate Studios… | NWSANews Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $10.50 | $32.40 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 7 | 28 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | +1.4% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | — | 1 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | $0.32 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | +3.4% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | May 24 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionsgate Studios C… (LION) | 100 | 80.68 | -19.3% |
| News Corporation (NWSA) | 100 | 98.09 | -1.9% |
News Corporation (NWSA) returned +5% over 5 years vs Lionsgate Studios C… (LION)'s -28%. A $10,000 investment in NWSA 5 years ago would be worth $10,482 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionsgate Studios C… (LION) | $129M | $3.2B | +2380.3% |
| News Corporation (NWSA) | $8.3B | $8.5B | +1.9% |
News Corporation's revenue grew from $8.3B (2016) to $8.5B (2025) — a 0.2% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionsgate Studios C… (LION) | 30.1% | -4.0% | -113.4% |
| News Corporation (NWSA) | 2.2% | 14.0% | +546.7% |
News Corporation's net margin went from 2% (2016) to 14% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 6 Years
| Stock | 2019 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| News Corporation (NWSA) | 54.4 | 12.6 | -76.8% |
News Corporation has traded in a 13x–94x P/E range over 6 years; current trailing P/E is ~11x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionsgate Studios C… (LION) | 1.5 | -0.43 | -128.7% |
| News Corporation (NWSA) | 0.3 | 2.07 | +590.0% |
News Corporation's EPS grew from $0.30 (2016) to $2.07 (2025) — a 24% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Lionsgate Studios Corp. generated $-120M FCF in 2024 (+73% vs 2021). News Corporation generated $727M FCF in 2025 (-14% vs 2021).
LION vs NWSA: Frequently Asked Questions
9 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is LION or NWSA a better buy right now?
News Corporation (NWSA) offers the better valuation at 11.4x trailing P/E (22.4x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Lionsgate Studios Corp. (LION) a "Buy" — based on 7 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — LION or NWSA?
On forward P/E, News Corporation is actually cheaper at 22.4x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — LION or NWSA?
Over the past 5 years, News Corporation (NWSA) delivered a total return of +4.8%, compared to -28.0% for Lionsgate Studios Corp. (LION). A $10,000 investment in NWSA five years ago would be worth approximately $10K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: NWSA returned +134.2% versus LION's -13.3%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — LION or NWSA?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), News Corporation (NWSA) is the lower-risk stock at 0.78β versus Lionsgate Studios Corp.'s 0.81β — meaning LION is approximately 3% more volatile than NWSA relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — LION or NWSA?
News Corporation (NWSA) is the more profitable company, earning 14.0% net margin versus -4.0% for Lionsgate Studios Corp. — meaning it keeps 14.0% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: NWSA leads at 11.3% versus 3.9% for LION. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — NWSA leads at 100.0%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Is LION or NWSA more undervalued right now?
On forward earnings alone, News Corporation (NWSA) trades at 22.4x forward P/E versus 39.2x for Lionsgate Studios Corp. — 16.8x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis. Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for NWSA: 37.4% to $32.40.
07Which pays a better dividend — LION or NWSA?
In this comparison, NWSA (1.4% yield) pays a dividend. LION does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
08Is LION or NWSA better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, News Corporation (NWSA) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.78), 1.4% yield, +134.2% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (NWSA: +134.2%, LION: -13.3%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
09What are the main differences between LION and NWSA?
Both stocks operate in the Communication Services sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: LION is a small-cap quality compounder stock; NWSA is a small-cap deep-value stock. NWSA pays a dividend while LION does not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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