PPLI vs ZD: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of September 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: ZD is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. PPLI and ZD share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined PPLI and ZD exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

People Incorporated (NASDAQ: PPLI) is the rebranded IAC Inc., the diversified internet and media holding company controlled by Barry Diller. Its core operating business is People Inc. (formerly Dotdash Meredith), one of the largest digital and print publishers in the United States, with roughly 40 brands including People, Better Homes & Gardens, Food & Wine, Allrecipes, Investopedia, and Verywell Health. People Inc. contributes the large majority of consolidated revenue and has posted a long streak of digital-revenue growth, with digital advertising and licensing offsetting a structurally declining print business. Alongside publishing, the company holds a sizable equity stake in MGM Resorts (roughly 67 million shares) and interests in other businesses, so its market value reflects both operating earnings and the mark-to-market of those holdings.

Full PPLI guide

Ziff Davis descends from j2 Global, which separated its cloud fax business as Consensus Cloud Solutions in October 2021 and renamed the remainder after the Ziff Davis publishing brand it had acquired. Four reportable segments remain after the June 2026 divestiture: Technology and Shopping (PCMag, RetailMeNot), Gaming and Entertainment (IGN, Humble Bundle), Health and Wellness (Everyday Health, Lose It!), and Cybersecurity and Martech (VIPRE, Campaigner, Moz). Mashable and the other consumer titles sit inside the media segments. Revenue arrives in three shapes: display and performance advertising sold against site traffic, subscriptions to software and consumer services, and licensing. In Q2 2026 the four segments produced ~$286.7 million between them, down ~2.7% from a year earlier, with only Gaming and Entertainment and Cybersecurity and Martech growing.

Full ZD guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• PPLI drivers: Digital publishing growth and margin expansion; AI and content-licensing deals.
• ZD drivers: Redeploying the Connectivity proceeds; The non-advertising half of the business.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The biggest structural risk is the decline of Google search referral traffic and the rise of AI answer engines, which threaten the ad-supported publishing model that most digital media companies depend on. For ZD, the bear case starts with AI search referral traffic.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick PPLI if you believe its drivers more; ZD if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the PPLI and ZD guides.

PPLI. Revenue has declined roughly high-single-digits year over year as print shrinks, while digital revenue and margins have expanded. Because a large slice of the market cap is backed by the MGM equity stake and net cash, headline P/E multiples understate how much of the value sits in investments rather than operating earnings, which is why the stock is usually analyzed on a sum-of-the-parts basis.

ZD. The gap between the market value and the cash pile is what makes ZD screen unusually cheap: back out net cash and the four operating segments are priced at something close to four times their current adjusted EBITDA run rate. Bears would answer that a mid single digit revenue decline compounds, and that a four times multiple on a shrinking base is not the bargain it looks like on a screen. Note also that the trailing revenue figure most data providers still show blends in Connectivity, so year-ahead comparisons will look worse than the underlying trend until the divested period rolls off.

Headline figures (approximate, July 2026): PPLI shows share price ~$42, market cap ~$3.1 billion, revenue (ttm) ~$2.3 billion, net income (ttm) ~$40 million; ZD shows revenue (q2 2026, continuing operations) ~$286.7M, down ~2.7% year over year, revenue (ttm, as reported) ~$1.44B, which still includes the Connectivity division divested in June 2026, adjusted ebitda (q2 2026) ~$76.8M, a ~26.8% margin, versus ~$79.8M a year earlier, adjusted diluted eps (q2 2026) ~$1.03, up ~13.2%, against a GAAP loss from continuing operations of ~$1.43 after a ~$54.8M goodwill impairment.

PPLI and ZD are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined PPLI and ZD exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.