I last wrote about Martha Stewart Living (MSO) back in February. In that piece, I applauded the fourth-quarter performance; unfortunately, I also was honest and said I didn't like the business from a long-term perspective. I still feel this way. It's the whole too-dependent-on-one-personality thing that makes me hesitant. Still, you can try to trade the shares every now and then, I suppose.

I decided to check in again on the company. I was reminded to do so by the following article at The Hollywood Reporter. It discusses the potential merits of a partnership between Martha Stewart's business and Hallmark Channel, which is owned by Crown Media Holdings (CRWN).

Continue reading Checking In on Martha Stewart Omnimedia

Checking In on Martha Stewart Omnimedia originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I've never been a fan of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSO). I don't have a problem with Martha Stewart, but I think the business model's prospects are tied too closely to one personality. Investors have debated this point, but speaking for myself, if I were to initiate a position in the stock, it would not be with a significant time horizon in mind.

Which brings me to the fourth-quarter report. Total revenues increased 20%, driven by recognition of royalties from Kmart. The company earned 37 cents per diluted share. In the comparable quarter, there was a loss of 15 cents per diluted share.

Continue reading Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Serves Up a Tasty Quarter

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Serves Up a Tasty Quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Martha Stewart does have a sense of humor! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Welcome to the 68th installment of The Wal-Mart Weekly, a column dedicated to bringing you insight, wit, facts, results, opinions, and just a bit of everything else when it comes to a very hot topic these days: Wal-Mart.

This week, I'll be taking a look at the most recent financial results from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT). The retailer continues to state the the federal tax economic stimulus checks being used by customers in its stores have buoyed it results.

Overall, this is good news. When the tax stimulus checks run out, though, will Wal-Mart continue to post such great sales figures like it did in June 2008? Remember June 2007?

Last summer, Wal-Mart also easily defeated analyst calls and toasted the expected same-store sales growth. Is seasonality more a part of the picture than tax checks? How about gas pricing stamping out multiple shopping trips by many families? All of this contributes, I would posit.

Continue reading The Wal-Mart Weekly: 2008 shaping up to be a winning year

The Wal-Mart Weekly: 2008 shaping up to be a winning year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• In a diversification move, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc (NYSE: MSO) will reportedly acquire the media and licensed properties of well-known TV chef Emeril Lagasse for $45M in cash and $5M in stock, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• According to the Wall Street Journal's "Heard on the Street," the current quarter for Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (NYSE: LEH) will not be good and it also has a sizable amount of commercial real estate loans which could lead to bigger write-downs. The latest estimates are of an approximate $1.3B write-down, above recent estimates, and higher than the $830M in the fourth quarter.

• The Australian Financial Review reported that General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) has emerged as a new contender for Allco Finance Group's transport leasing, property and power assets.

• Motorola Inc (NYSE: MOT) is suing Research in Motion Limited (NASDAQ: RIMM) claiming the company violated seven U.S. patents covering mobile-communications technology, Bloomberg reported. Research in Motion also filed a suit against Motorola claiming the company infringed on Research in Motion patents.

Newspaper wrap-up: Credit crisis catches up to Lehman Brothers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With its stock sitting in a toilet that would make the housekeeping goddess cringe, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) is looking for something to boost its operations.

Fortune reports it has learned that the company "has held recent talks with two prominent tastemakers, the fashion designer Cynthia Rowley and Jonathan Adler, known for his home décor, with the aim of building multifaceted brands around these personalities that span television, publishing and the internet."

The talks have reportedly broken off, but CEO Susan Lyne has said that she is on the prowl for acquisitions. Acquisitions have a bad habit of failing to generate value for the acquirer, and Fortune notes that "The pressure to do a deal will intensify this year, as MSO prepares to take a hit on several fronts." And therein lies the problem.

The company has historically been unable to generate a profit, and that's not going to get any better in the near future. An acquisition driven by what amounts to desperation is unlikely to change that. And signing a big star will cost a lot money, and the value of that star's brand will tend to aggregate to them, not MSO -- that's the nature of licensing deals.

Bottom line: If you want to buy shares of MSO, it should be because you're bullish on the future of the company as it is now, not because you're hoping that a management team that has failed to generate value can make a killer acquisition that will restore the company to its once high-flying status.

Can Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia be saved? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dow Jones & Co. (NYSE: DJ) expects to reach an agreement to sell itself to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (NYSE: NWS), ending a months-long soap opera that's tried the patience of media nerds like myself, according to CNBC's David Faber. No word on the final terms.

Looks like all of the chest pounding and teeth gnashing by Murdoch's many detractors, including members of the Bancroft family which owns Dow Jones, failed to stop the Australian media mogul just as I expected. The Bancrofts had no other choice. Saying "yes" to Murdoch, was much more lucrative and less potentially litigious than saying "no." There is no doubt that minority shareholders would have sued the Bancrofts for turning down Murdoch's $5 billion offer since the stock would have beeen sent into a tailspin from which it would never recover.

Worries about Murdoch are justified. You can expect the complaints about the tycoon's meddling in the Journal's editorial practices to surface in about six months to a year, perhaps sooner. It will be subtle and difficult for most readers to notice but it will happen. Though many Dow Jones journalists are cringing at the thought of working for Murdoch, they have little choice but to put up with him. Dow Jones pays well in an industry famous for paying poorly. Plus, most media companies aren't doing much hiring because of the current business conditions.

Since Dow Jones appears to have gotten a ridiculously high price for its company, Wall Street will wonder why small media companies such as the New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT), E.W. Scripps Co. (NYSE: SSP), Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (NYSE: MSO) and Gannett Co. (NYSE: GCI) can't do the same.

They better come up with an answer quickly.

Dow Jones says yes to Murdoch; pressure mounts on other media companies originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Things are looking up at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO). Recently released fourth quarter 2006 figures show a whopping 5X profit growth over fourth quarter 2005. Fourth quarter 2006 revenues rose 15% to $97 million, while operating income increased to $14.6 million, up from $2.5 million in fourth quarter 2005. 2006 EPS were 31 cents per share for the quarter, up from 6 cents per share in 4Q 2005.

For FY 2006, revenues increased 36% to just over $288 million, with much lower operating income loss of $(2.8) million, compared to a loss of $(78.3) million in FY 2005. All segments of the Martha Machine show healthy growth, from magazines and TV shows to home fashions. Ad revenue was up 26% to just about $24 million, circulation at all Omnimedia publications was up -- Martha Stewart Living, Everyday Food, Body + Soul, and Blueprint, with an overall 11% increase in the number of ad pages.

Gallery: Blueprint and House & Garden Magazines shuttered

Ratings for both the Martha Stewart TV and radio broadcast increased, and Martha Stewart products have moved into Macy's and beginning in early 2007 over 900 Michael's arts and crafts stores. In the spring, Martha Stewart Colors paint program will begin to roll out at Lowe's hardware stores nationwide. The company forecasts FY 2007 revenue in the $330-340 million range.

Martha Stewart raises the dough originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 Mar 2007 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is written as part of AOL Money & Finance's Best & Worst 2006. You can vote for Martha Stewart as the magnate you'd like to see lose all her money.

Some might wonder whether domestic diva Martha Stewart has already lost her fortune, but the answer is a resounding no.

In 1995 New York Magazine declared this business magnate, author, editor, and commercial spokesperson to be the "definitive American woman of our time." In September 1997, Stewart secured funding to consolidate the various television, print, and merchandising ventures related to the Martha Stewart brand into a new company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE:MSO). Stewart served as chairwoman, president, and CEO, and when the initial public offering rallied by $20 per share, Stewart became a billionaire. She continues to be the majority shareholder, with a commanding percentage of voting power in the company.

In 2002 Stewart sold shares of a pharmaceutical company days before the company's patent application for a new drug was denied. Accusations of insider trading resulted in Stewart's conviction in 2004 for obstruction of justice, and she served five months in prison. She had to step down from her executive positions at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and she lost her seats on the boards of Revlon and the New York Stock Exchange.

Since her release from prison, her time has been spent reviving her empire. She hosts the day-time Emmy-nominated television program Martha, is again involved in her magazine, Martha Stewart Living, and has published new books. The price of her company's stock has rebounded significantly.

Best & Worst: Should Martha Stewart be kicked off the comeback trail? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Dec 2006 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.