Quarterly reports continue to roll out this week, with results due from Allstate Corp. (ALL), Coca-Cola Co. (KO), Marriott International Inc. (MAR), Molson Coors Brewing Co. (TAP), New York Times Co. (NYT), Pepsico Inc. (PEP), Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), Viacom (VIA), Walt Disney Co. (DIS) and many others. Here's a look at a few of the companies that analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect to be the biggest earnings gainers this week.

Analysts are looking for Coinstar Inc. (CSTR), which distributes coin-counting, DVD-rental, and other self-service kiosks, to report that its fourth-quarter earnings more than doubled from a year ago to $0.32 per share. Revenue for the three months that ended in December is expected to have jumped 26.1% to $329.2 million. The analysts' forecast for the full year calls for earnings of $0.94 per share (+46.8%) on $1.2 billion in revenue (+25.9%). Coinstar has beat earnings estimates in the past three quarters, by as much as six cents per share.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: High Hopes for Coinstar, Agilent, Chipotle, Baidu, Hasbro

The Week in Preview: High Hopes for Coinstar, Agilent, Chipotle, Baidu, Hasbro originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The recent announcement by the New York Times (NYT) that it would start to require subscriptions next year has drawn no shortage of attention and commentary. It has tried to put content behind a pay wall before (and failed), as have other newspapers.

Almost universally, newspapers have struggled with online subscriptions, with the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal, a News Corp (NWS) property, the only two that have really delivered results better than awful. Whether the New York Times can operate at that level is in doubt, particularly given the stunning realization about Long Island daily newspaper Newsday.

Continue reading Newsday Shows Future of Online Subscription Model

Newsday Shows Future of Online Subscription Model originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The New York Times

Continue reading Twitter Starting to Pop Up in Ad Deals

Twitter Starting to Pop Up in Ad Deals originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We've put three quarters behind us in 2009, and the most recent one was merely another miserable step downward for the beleaguered newspaper industry. Total ad revenue plummeted in the third quarter to $6.4 billion for the print jockeys, a decline of 28%. This info from the Newspaper Association of America drives home the notion that conditions will only worsen for the newspaper industry. So, if you're hoping those shares of New York Times Company (NYT), Gannett (GCI) and Washington Post Company (WPO), holding your breath will leave you little more than dizzy.

Of the total advertising revenue generated in the third quarter of 2009, $5.8 million came from print, the lowest quarterly amount this year. The $623 million in online advertising sold by America's newspapers was also 2009's worst. Both are down substantially from the same quarter in 2008, when the newspapers posted print ad revenue of $8.2 million and online ad revenue of $750 million, according to NAA data. At this time last year, we lamented year-over-year declines approaching 20%. Now, we have the same feelings as ad revenue drops approach 30%.

Continue reading Newspaper ad revenue of 28%, 8 quarters of double-digit drops

Newspaper ad revenue of 28%, 8 quarters of double-digit drops originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This winter, a bit more of New York is headed to Florida. Layoffs for 2010 have already been announced for the New York Times Company(NYT). The New York Times News Service will lose 25 editorial positions next year and shift the service's editing to one of the parent company's Florida newspapers. At present, the news service has 30 editorial jobs. Some of the layoffs will occur in February, and the others will happen in May.

These layoffs are not included in the planned slashing of 100 jobs in the flagship newspaper's newsroom -- a workforce reduction of 8% that should take hold by the end of the year. The NY Times is also ceasing pension contributions for nonunion employees.

Continue reading NYT News Service migrates after cut

NYT News Service migrates after cut originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) published data for the third quarter earlier today. Can't say I was mightily impressed by the numbers. Sure, there was a profit increase, but the top line wasn't exciting, and the newspaper division, as you might have expected, experienced a sharp decline in sales.

Net revenues rose 2%. Earnings per share came in at $1.81. That was sharply higher than the $1.08 per share recorded in the comparable period. Yet, I think you have to be careful in terms of reading too much positive spin into the growth rate.

Continue reading The Washington Post Company increases income, but shares sell off

The Washington Post Company increases income, but shares sell off originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The mayhem in the media industry continues. The Wall Street Journal, a News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS) property, is closing its Boston bureau and sending nine employees into the wind. The newswire and MarketWatch operations are going to stay open in Boston, however, with no headcount impact.

The Journal doesn't have any plans to close other offices, according to a memo by managing editor Robert Thomson: "there are no plans, nascent or otherwise, to close any other U.S. or international bureau." The WSJ will still support an "investigative function" in Boston, but the New York-based Money and Investing team will cover Boston's mutual fund industry, which boasts such heavy hitters as Fidelity.

At the same time, magazine company Time Inc., owned by Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) is looking to cut $100 million in expenses, and layoffs will undoubtedly figure into the equation. The company that owns Time, Fortune, People and Sports Illustrated - and falls under the same umbrella as AOL, which owns BloggingStocks - is feeling the squeeze of a media recession that's even worse than the regular recession we've all been battling for what feels like decades.

Continue reading Time and WSJ to lay off more

Time and WSJ to lay off more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It costs a fortune to cut fat. For regular people, it can mean hundreds or even thousands of dollars on gym memberships, special meals and organic restaurants. Yet, this pales in comparison to how much the Boston Globe is spending to lose some dead weight. It could cost the NY Times Co. (NYSE: NYT) property more than $1.2 million to bid adieu to the publisher that almost ran it into the ground.

Steven Ainsley has announced that he's going to retire as publisher of the Globe after having been at the helm for three years. Though quite proud of the two Pulitzer Prizes the paper picked up under Ainsley, the announcement didn't include the fact that he almost caused the newspaper retire before him. As usual, the newspaper is all too eager to talk about its awards, without even acknowledging the fact that it's on the brink of disaster.

Continue reading Boston Globe's Ainsley $1.2 million departure package

Boston Globe's Ainsley $1.2 million departure package originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The folks in the news business are probably growing to hate Mondays. Gannett's (NYSE: GCI) profits are off by more than 50%, and the New York Times announced that it's chopping 100 jobs from the newsroom, along with an unspecified number elsewhere in the newspaper. Like Gannett, the New York Times cites declines in ad revenue as the reason for the decision. The company is hoping that employees will take voluntary buyouts where offered, but it is prepared to conduct a round of layoffs if necessary.

The newspaper, which is the flagship property of the New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), cut 100 newsroom positions last year, mostly through voluntary buyouts, before a "relatively small" round of layoffs. This year's 100-job cut is approximately 8% of the newsroom, but the paper will still have the largest in the United States. Approximately 1,150 reporters and editors will remain. Already, 100 jobs have been slashed on the business side, leaving it now staffed at 1,850.

Continue reading New York Times to cut 100 newsroom positions

New York Times to cut 100 newsroom positions originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gannett (NYSE: GCI) lost more than half its third-quarter profits year-over-year, as the newspaper industry shows yet another sign of decline. A substantial drop in ad revenue was the primary reason for the plunge.

The newspaper giant was able to stay in the black because of aggressive cost cutting, a move that can work for only so long. For now, it's the most popular option available to the beleaguered industry, as evidenced by a New York Times (NYSE: NYT) announcement that it would slash another 100 positions from the newsroom, and more positions elsewhere.

Continue reading Gannett profit falls by more than half

Gannett profit falls by more than half originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In Internet Wealth Builder, he explains, "I have been involved in the newspaper industry for good portion of my career; so it has been with great dismay that I've watched the industry crumble over the last few years." For contrary investors, he looks to New York Times (NYSE: NYT) and Gannett (NYSE: GCI).

"The Internet in general has siphoned off millions of dollars of advertising that used to belong to the newspaper industry.

Continue reading Printing profits? A contrary look at newspapers

Printing profits? A contrary look at newspapers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) has hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) to "explore a potential sale" of the New England Media Group, according to a document filed Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

New England Media Group includes such assets as the Boston Globe, which was purchased for $1.1 billion back in 1993, as well as the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, which was acquired for $295 million in 2000.

Continue reading New York Times hires Goldman to advise on Boston Globe sale

New York Times hires Goldman to advise on Boston Globe sale originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) is set to report Q1 earnings on Tuesday, April 21. Don't expect a profit. In fact, I wouldn't expect much of anything. After all, we are talking about a company that makes its money off newsprint. Sad as it might be to say, newspapers are fast becoming dinosaurs in the age of digital information.

According to this source, analysts think that the New York Times will lose about $0.04 per share. That's really bad, considering that the same source says that the company was profitable in the year-ago frame, generating $0.09 per share. It isn't surprising though, is it? Not only has the recession destroyed advertising growth in all forms of media, but newspapers simply aren't looked to anymore as the first source of news. The Internet has disrupted that reputation for good.

Continue reading Earnings preview: New York Times' first quarter not expected to be good

Earnings preview: New York Times' first quarter not expected to be good originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading New York Times eliminates dividend

New York Times eliminates dividend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The New York Times Co.

Continue reading New York Times has pension drama

New York Times has pension drama originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New York Times close to selling part of headquarters originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Boston Globe joins the ads on the front page parade originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Emergencies make strange bedfellows. Carlos Slim, the Mexican billionaire, will put $250 million into The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT). According to The New York Times, "Under the terms of the deal, Mr. Slim, who already owns 6.9 percent of the Times Company, would invest $250 million in the form of six-year notes with warrants that are convertible into common shares." The notes carry a 14% interest rate, which makes them the equivalent of junk debt.

If Slim lived in the US, The Times writers would beat him like a rented mule because of his close, some say too close, ties to the Mexican government. These cozy relationships are often viewed as one of the reasons he has done so well financially.

Forbes reports that Slim may be well-regarded outside Mexico, "But not in Mexico, where the media and the masses long have held a sneaking suspicion that there is something shady about Slim. He is decried as a rapacious monopolist who built his empire on cozy ties to Mexican presidents and other politicians."

Slim is a perfect target for investigative reporting, something The Times prides itself on. But, the paper needs the money, so Slim's potential conflicts of interest in his own country will be overlooked.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 24/7 Wall St.

Carlos Slim invests in The New York Times, which should be his critic originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Carlos Slim to invest $250 million in New York Times originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New York Times moves display ad to front page to combat tanking revenue originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.