Warner Brothers, Time Warner's (TWX) movie entertainment arm, is going to launch part 2 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows in 3D during 2011. We take this opportunity to estimate the value of such movies from Time Warner's perspective. Time Warner competes with Viacom (VIA), News Corp. (NWS), CBS (CBS) and Disney (DIS) in the media and entertainment business.

Our price estimate for Time Warner's stock stands at $35.51, in line with market price.

Continue reading What the Final Harry Potter Film Means to Time Warner

What the Final Harry Potter Film Means to Time Warner originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CBS's (CBS) recent decision to pull back some of its streaming content from Netflix's (NFLX) library comes at a surprise to the rental company. Although Netflix has moved into offering its own content, CBS still competes more directly with companies like Disney (DIS), News Corp. (NWS), Time Warner (TWX) and Viacom (VIA). So what value does CBS see in pulling its content?

Continue reading Why CBS Pulled Content from Netflix

Why CBS Pulled Content from Netflix originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CBS (CBS) announced last week that it will acquire Clicker Media, a guide to Internet TV, and appoint Clicker's CEO, Jim Lanzone, to head CBS Interactive. CBS competes with other media conglomerates like Walt Disney (DIS), News Corp. (NWSA), Time Warner (TWX) and Viacom (VIA). While this move looks like one to strengthen its position in digital media, CBS also needs to better understand consumer habits and use it to its own advantage.

We take this opportunity to look at Clicker's business, the importance to CBS Interactive (the company's digital arm) and what CBS might be thinking with this move.

Our price estimate for CBS is $26.34, which is roughly a 10% premium to market price.

Continue reading CBS Acquires Clicker to Expand Digital Business, Tap Internet TV's Growth

CBS Acquires Clicker to Expand Digital Business, Tap Internet TV's Growth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CBS (CBS) competes with other media conglomerates like Disney (DIS), News Corp. (NWSA), Time Warner (TWX) and Viacom (VIA) in the media and entertainment business.

The company recently released its fourth quarter 2010 earnings. Based on observed improvements in margins across all categories, an improving advertising environment and continued growth in the local broadcasting segment, we have updated our price estimate for CBS stock to $26.34. Our price estimate for CBS stands at 18% premium to the market price.

Continue reading Raising Estimates on CBS on Better Ad Environment

Raising Estimates on CBS on Better Ad Environment originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CBS Corporation (CBS) issued its fourth-quarter report after the bell today. The results should make shareholders happy. Adjusted net income rose an incredible 77% to 46 cents per share, according to the press release. That number went beyond the estimate by two pennies as indicated by TheFly.

Considering how the stock has fared over the past twelve months, one would have expected a good earnings report. The 52-week low for the shares is $12.26 while the 52-week high is $22.25. The chart communicates a company backed by some solid momentum.

Continue reading CBS Tops Estimate in Q4: Buy the Stock?

CBS Tops Estimate in Q4: Buy the Stock? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For investors, online music operators have been extremely risky. Of course, the main problem has been the lawsuits over copyright infringement. As a result, there have been no IPOs in the online music sector since 2002. That was when Napster went bust.

But over the past couple of years, the environment has been getting better. Just look at Pandora, which is an Internet-radio company. It has filed for a $100 million IPO.

Continue reading Pandora's New Tune: An IPO

Pandora's New Tune: An IPO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We're well into the quarter now and the earnings reports continue to roll out.

This week, Dell (DELL) highlights a handful of results from tech companies. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for fourth-quarter earnings of 37 cents per share from the one of the world's top PC purveyors. That's up from 28 cents per share during the same period a year ago. Dell also is expected to report its revenue grew 5.5% year over year to $15.7 billion, for the three months that ended in January.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Mid-Quarter Earnings (DELL, SJM, MAR, JWN)

Week in Preview: Mid-Quarter Earnings (DELL, SJM, MAR, JWN) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As everyone knows by now, the Apple (AAPL) iPhone is headed for Verizon's (VZ) reportedly more reliable network. With so much excitement over the announcement, traders and investors can look at various ways to profit off of this.

The obvious beneficiary is Apple, but there are additional ways to play it, such as the advertising companies, as Verizon hits the airwaves to promote the iPhone, even at the expense of the Android. A few ideas to consider include names like CBS (CBS) and Viacom (VIA), which should win no matter which platform wins.

Continue reading Trading the Verizon iPhone

Trading the Verizon iPhone originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CBS (CBS) has had a great year. Take a look at the twelve-month chart. Sure, it wasn't a straight line up, but the price action in the stock indicates potential confidence in the business on the part of Wall Street institutions. Many investors are certainly wondering how this idea will fare in 2011.

The shares have bounced between a relatively narrow range. The 52-week low is $12.26; the 52-week high is $19.65. On Thursday, the stock closed with a quote of $19.05. Volume, as you might expect, was very low, which is typical at this time of year.

Continue reading CBS: Is the Broadcaster a Buy?

CBS: Is the Broadcaster a Buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Oracle (ORCL) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Accenture (ACN) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Advanced Energy (AEIS) and Applied Materials (AMAT) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Spreadtrum (SPRD) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Healthcare Realty Trust (HR) and Tortoise Energy Capital (TYY) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Global Payments (GPN) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• CBS (CBS) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Sonic (SONC) to outperform from neutral at Cowen.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ACN, AMAT, AZN, BBT, CBS, GPN, IP, ORCL, PKG, SONC, V ...

Analyst Calls: ACN, AMAT, AZN, BBT, CBS, GPN, IP, ORCL, PKG, SONC, V ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will appear on 60 Minutes this Sunday to defend his controversial stimulus package, dubbed QE2, of buying $600 billion of Treasury securities.

In the CBS interview, Bernanke explains his intentions with QE2 and defends the notion that this stimulus will not lead to inflation. He also told CBS that he is not ruling out the purchase of more securities.

Continue reading Bernanke on 60 Minutes: We Could Have QE3

Bernanke on 60 Minutes: We Could Have QE3 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CBS (CBS) reported third-quarter earnings last Thursday after the bell. On Friday, the shares closed down 3.7% to $17.01. The 52-week high for the stock is $18.20. Although the one-year chart doesn't show a smooth uptrend, it does indicate that the shares have exhibited a certain amount of strength. But does the sell-off on Friday, which was backed by strong volume, tell us that the stock should be avoided?

I've been cautious about this company. I have to admit, though, that it delivered a decent Q3. The press release says that adjusted profit jumped 40% to 35 cents per share. According to the Associated Press, that figure beat projections by four pennies. The AP article also mentioned something not so surprising: advertising dedicated to political races helped the period.

Continue reading CBS: Buy or Sell After Q3?

CBS: Buy or Sell After Q3? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It will be a busy week. Republicans are poised to gain control of the House of Representatives and gain governorships in Tuesday's mid-term elections. Also, the Federal Reserve is expected to announce another round of quantitative easing Wednesday, following the FOMC meeting. Major retailers are scheduled to report October same-store sales Thursday, while the October unemployment rate, announced on Friday, is expected to remain at 9.6%.

Toyota's (TM) fiscal second-quarter results will be one of the highlights on the earnings front this week. After three periods of way underestimating Toyota's earnings, have the analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters got it right this time? The stock sure could use a boost. Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA) is in a similar situation; i.e., high expectations for this week's quarterly results but a stock in need of a boost. Marathon (MRO) and Starbucks (SBUX) are also expected to post strong earnings growth this week, but both stocks are riding high.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Election, QE2, Unemployment and More Earnings

Week in Preview: Election, QE2, Unemployment and More Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CBS (CBS) closed yesterday's session at a price of $17.51. Volume wasn't great, but it was a holiday, so I'm sure that affected the trading. What made me take note of the movement was the fact that the shares are not far at all from the 52-week high of $17.64.

I've been wary of buying the broadcasting company. Back in August, when I took a look at the Q2 report, I expressed some reticence toward the technical quality of the stock compared to other opportunities. Besides that concern, I suppose one always has to be careful with significant exposure to network television, as many consider such a traditional business challenging in an age of digital distribution and intense competition from cable channels.

Continue reading CBS: Keeping an Eye on the Stock

CBS: Keeping an Eye on the Stock originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Viacom's B shares (VIA.B) closed today's session at $33.70. They were down a little less than 1%. Volume was strong. Those who were hoping that the second-quarter earnings report, which was released earlier in the morning, would turn out to be an exciting catalyst were unfortunately disappointed.

The media company, whose colleagues include CBS Corporation (CBS) and The Walt Disney Company (DIS), said it made 69 cents per share this time around versus income of 46 cents per share in the year-ago period. On an adjusted basis, profit from continuing operations was 68 cents per share, which was two pennies ahead of estimates.

Continue reading Viacom Beats in Q2 -- Market Doesn't Care

Viacom Beats in Q2 -- Market Doesn't Care originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading News Corp. Reports a Strong Quarter, but Should You Buy the Stock?

News Corp. Reports a Strong Quarter, but Should You Buy the Stock? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Have you been thinking about buying CBS (CBS)? It's not too far away from its 52-week high. At the end of Tuesday's regular session, the stock, whose colleagues include Disney (DIS), General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, and News Corp. (NWS), settled out at a price of $15.01; the high for the year is $16.98. The one-year chart tells an interesting story: The trend over the last twelve months has been up, but lately, there's been a healthy amount of sideways action, which, of course, might not be healthy for growth investors.

Then again, for longer-term investors, at least the shares have been holding up, right? And now we come to the second-quarter report, released Tuesday after the bell. What does it tell us about the situation?

Continue reading CBS: Should You Take a Look After Second-Quarter Earnings?

CBS: Should You Take a Look After Second-Quarter Earnings? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Netflix: How Does the Stock Look Now?

Netflix: How Does the Stock Look Now? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Viacom's Dividend: Does This Mean Growth Is Over?

Viacom's Dividend: Does This Mean Growth Is Over? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"While stocks have moved up and down sharply in recent months, minibonds have just kept bobbling along, still paying their big dividends and accruing cash to keep paying those dividends," says income advisor Neil George.

The editor of The Pay Me Strategy explains, "You might be surprised to learn how large the universe of minibonds is; there are always new opportunities to add to your minibond collection. Take a peek at what I've found and perhaps take a nibble or two.

For example, media companies CBS (RBV) and Viacom (VNV) have both had to deal with cost containment challenges while trying to bolster revenues from their audiences and advertisers.

Continue reading Minibond Investing: Five Income Plays on Media and Retail

Minibond Investing: Five Income Plays on Media and Retail originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.