NWS vs. WMG: News vs. Warner Music Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG) both fall under the Media & Entertainment industry group, but NWS is classified in Media while WMG is classified in Entertainment.

Company profile comparison for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG)
Profile Item	NWS	WMG
Name	News Corp Class B	Warner Music Group Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Communication Services	Communication Services
GICS Industry Group	Media & Entertainment	Media & Entertainment
GICS Industry	Media	Entertainment
GICS Sub-Industry	Publishing	Movies & Entertainment
Market Capitalization	15.55 billion USD	16.37 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	June 19, 2013	June 3, 2020
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NWS

WMG

GSPC

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG)
Metric	NWS	WMG
Total Return (1Y)	-3.65%	6.98%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	10.18%	1.34%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	4.98%	-6.02%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NWS

WMG

GSPC

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG)
Metric	NWS	WMG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	29.25%	35.24%
Beta (5Y)	1.02	1.31
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-35.61%	-53.17%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.11M	2.05M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

NWS and WMG are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG)
Metric	NWS	WMG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.27	0.08
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.35	0.11

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Warner Music (WMG) at 70.07% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than News (NWS) at 8.72%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

NWS

Media & Entertainment industry group

8.72%

Max: 49.92%
Q3: 17.95%
NWS: 8.72%
Median: 7.20%
Q1: -4.53%
Min: -26.31%

WMG

Media & Entertainment industry group

70.07%

WMG: 70.07%
Max: 49.92%
Q3: 17.95%
Median: 7.20%
Q1: -4.53%
Min: -26.31%

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their ROE against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both News (NWS) at 6.77% and Warner Music (WMG) at 9.20% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

NWS

Media & Entertainment industry group

6.77%

Max: 32.91%
Q3: 11.75%
NWS: 6.77%
Median: 5.04%
Q1: -4.17%
Min: -25.14%

WMG

Media & Entertainment industry group

9.20%

Max: 32.91%
Q3: 11.75%
WMG: 9.20%
Median: 5.04%
Q1: -4.17%
Min: -25.14%

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their net margin against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both News (NWS) at 12.14% and Warner Music (WMG) at 16.74% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

NWS

Media & Entertainment industry group

12.14%

Max: 40.16%
Q3: 18.72%
NWS: 12.14%
Median: 8.63%
Q1: 1.90%
Min: -22.08%

WMG

Media & Entertainment industry group

16.74%

Max: 40.16%
Q3: 18.72%
WMG: 16.74%
Median: 8.63%
Q1: 1.90%
Min: -22.08%

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their operating margin against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG)
Metric	NWS	WMG
ROE (TTM)	8.72%	70.07%
ROA (TTM)	4.91%	7.65%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.77%	9.20%
Operating Margin (TTM)	12.14%	16.74%
Gross Margin (TTM)	57.29%	45.77%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both News (NWS) at 6.82% and Warner Music (WMG) at 4.37% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both News (NWS) at -50.24% and Warner Music (WMG) at -16.87% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG)
Metric	NWS	WMG
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.82%	4.37%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.06%	4.25%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-50.24%	-16.87%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	58.23%	-13.33%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

News (NWS) at 1.62 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Warner Music (WMG) at 0.73 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WMG.

NWS

Media & Entertainment industry group

1.62

Max: 4.69
Q3: 2.53
NWS: 1.62
Median: 1.52
Q1: 0.95
Min: 0.28

WMG

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.73

Max: 4.69
Q3: 2.53
Median: 1.52
Q1: 0.95
WMG: 0.73
Min: 0.28

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their current ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

News (NWS) at 0.32 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Warner Music (WMG) at 4.53 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

NWS

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.32

Max: 3.65
Q3: 1.69
Median: 0.46
NWS: 0.32
Q1: 0.17
Min: 0.00

WMG

Media & Entertainment industry group

4.53

WMG: 4.53
Max: 3.65
Q3: 1.69
Median: 0.46
Q1: 0.17
Min: 0.00

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG)
Metric	NWS	WMG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.62	0.73
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.32	4.53
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.82	2.57

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

News (NWS) at 0.69% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; Warner Music (WMG) at 2.38% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

NWS

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.69%

Max: 1.33%
NWS: 0.69%
Q3: 0.65%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WMG

Media & Entertainment industry group

2.38%

WMG: 2.38%
Max: 1.33%
Q3: 0.65%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

News (NWS) at 17.86% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Warner Music (WMG) at 60.80% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

NWS

Media & Entertainment industry group

17.86%

Max: 71.43%
Q3: 28.98%
NWS: 17.86%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WMG

Media & Entertainment industry group

60.80%

Max: 71.43%
WMG: 60.80%
Q3: 28.98%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG)
Metric	NWS	WMG
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.69%	2.38%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.86%	60.80%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both News (NWS) at 25.86 and Warner Music (WMG) at 25.04 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

NWS

Media & Entertainment industry group

25.86

Max: 51.21
Q3: 28.90
NWS: 25.86
Median: 17.98
Q1: 11.53
Min: 1.64

WMG

Media & Entertainment industry group

25.04

Max: 51.21
Q3: 28.90
WMG: 25.04
Median: 17.98
Q1: 11.53
Min: 1.64

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both News (NWS) at 1.70 and Warner Music (WMG) at 2.24 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

NWS

Media & Entertainment industry group

1.70

Max: 7.43
Q3: 3.82
NWS: 1.70
Median: 1.40
Q1: 0.70
Min: 0.00

WMG

Media & Entertainment industry group

2.24

Max: 7.43
Q3: 3.82
WMG: 2.24
Median: 1.40
Q1: 0.70
Min: 0.00

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

News (NWS) at 1.84 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Warner Music (WMG) at 19.17 prices above its benchmark range — WMG looks rich relative to book.

NWS

Media & Entertainment industry group

1.84

Max: 11.45
Q3: 5.30
NWS: 1.84
Median: 1.84
Q1: 0.77
Min: -2.61

WMG

Media & Entertainment industry group

19.17

WMG: 19.17
Max: 11.45
Q3: 5.30
Median: 1.84
Q1: 0.77
Min: -2.61

News (NWS) vs. Warner Music (WMG): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for News (NWS) and Warner Music (WMG)
Metric	NWS	WMG
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.86	25.04
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.70	2.24
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.84	19.17
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.85%	2.33%