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.

It took a while, but the broadcast media community is starting to realize that Nielsen Media may not have the answers to all their audience-related questions.

So, 14 of the largest players in the space -- including programmers, advertisers, and ad buyers -- are shelling out some cash to see if there's a better way. The group claims it isn't looking for an alternative to Nielsen ... but let's do the math on this one. If they aren't looking for some new choices, then just what the hell are they doing?

Continue reading Broadcasters, ad folks desperate for a better audience-measuring mousetrap

Broadcasters, ad folks desperate for a better audience-measuring mousetrap originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS) lost money in the third quarter (to see the data, you can click here to link to a pdf file). The loss was huge. Would you believe the red ink was equal to $18.58 per share from continuing operations? If you're a shareholder, you're probably shuddering at this point. But hold on, we're talking loss from a GAAP point of view. On an adjusted basis, excluding various charges (including the effect of the CNET purchase), CBS took in $0.43 per diluted share from continuing operations. According to my earnings preview, analysts were looking for a number around $0.40 per share. That's more like it. Yet, there's another angle to the CBS story that won't be so reassuring. And that angle has to do with cash flow.

You see, CBS really promotes its dividend. For a dividend to be considered safe and strong, it needs to be backed by free cash flow. Well, during the third quarter, CBS produced no free cash. It used $38 million for its corporate activities. Before anyone panics, management was quick to point out that, for the nine-month period, free cash flow was a positive $1.4 billion. CBS paid out about $524 million in dividends. So, that should allow for some comfort. Still, for a company that likes to base itself on returning value to shareholders, that does give me pause. Yes, it's only one quarter, but we are stuck in an awful economy right now, and the advertising outlook seems pretty challenged going forward. The Wal Disney Corporation's (NYSE: DIS) ABC, General Electric Company's (NYSE: GE) NBC, and News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) Fox are all in the same boat. Management does explicitly state in the earnings release that it's going to keep a strong eye on costs. I hope so. I also hope it'll keep a strong eye on the ratings of its television shows and continue to look for programming that can keep the cash coming. CBS has done well during the opening weeks of the new season.

Can CBS' content win the day and justify the stock's current yield? That's the big question. Since CBS' stock sports a yield of over 11%, the market is basically saying that bad things are to come. But, if management can sustain the dividend, then the yield can be considered a huge asset at this point. I'd be willing to give CBS the benefit of the doubt over the long term, but if you're thinking of trading the stock, I'd have a firm exit strategy in mind and use a tight stop. Wall Street has been in a very fickle mood lately, so anything can happen to stock prices at any moment. Executive chairman Sumner Redstone is very confident in the company. I'm not sure how big an endorsement that is, but it's something, at least, right?

Disclosure: I own Disney and GE; positions can change at any time.

CBS put a loss on the Q3 schedule originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The FCC is looking at using part of the TV signal spectrum to provide wireless high-speed internet. It is a brilliant idea that is being opposed by a large part of the television industry.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "The Federal Communications Commission will have the final say in the battle between the broadcasters -- which fear interference on the airwaves they'll still be using -- and the companies including Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG). and Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) that want to share the television airwaves."

The fight is a classic example of old media not wanting to give up something that it has "owned" for years because it may help new competition.

Tough luck. Broadband adoption in the U.S. is behind several countries in Europe and Asia, and if the FCC can offer an inexpensive solution to that, it should. The new over-the-air system would have many of the benefits of Wi-Fi, but would be more broadly available.

TV broadcasters say that the new technology could interfere with their signals, but testing can demonstrate whether that is true or not. The FCC has the chance to move broadband adoption forward with one spectacular decision. It should not balk at the chance.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Google and Motorola to supply Wi-Fi for the masses? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.