Though Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (NYSE: MSO) today reported decent second-quarter results, its future as an independent company remains in doubt in the wake of News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) $5 billion acquisition of Dow Jones & Co. (NYSE: DJ).
First the numbers. The company reported a net loss of $6.37 million, or 13 cents per share, compared with a loss of $1.17 million, or 2 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 7.7% to $73.4 million. Excluding one-time items, the company's loss was 9 cents. Wall Street was expecting a loss of 9 cents on sales of $71 million, according to Thomson Financial.
Chief Executive Susan Lyne, who has done a better job running Martha Stewart Living than Stewart herself, expects the New York-based company to return to profitability this year. The company maintained guidance for revenue this year of $333 million to $340 million and for $68 million to $75 million in the quarter.
Investors, though, are clearly expecting more from the domestic diva. Shares of the company have plunged more than 38% this year. The few Wall Street analysts who cover the company seem lukewarm on the stock at best and there is little chance that sentiment will change.
Though Martha Stewart is a formidable brand, the company remains a tiny fish in the vast media ocean. Sooner or later, it will get swallowed up by a bigger fish or even a shark like News Corp.
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