Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) reported earnings for the fourth quarter on Wednesday. Today, the company's shares hit a new 52-week high of $25.39 during the intraday session (there's still more than two hours left until the closing bell rings, so that high point could eventually change).

The 52-week low for the cable business is $15.55. The one-year chart tracks the positive momentum of the equity. Will the stock break out to new heights from this juncture?

Continue reading Comcast Attracts Bullish Sentiment Following Latest Report

Comcast Attracts Bullish Sentiment Following Latest Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The shares of cable and communications giant Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), which I first wrote about on April 22, 2009, at a price of $14.05, have put in a decent rally this winter, rising to about $24. Now may be a good time to consider taking some profits if you're in near $14.

However, those investors who can tolerate the risk can maintain their full position with CMCSA and go for an even bigger gain, but keep in mind the journey to $30 probably will not be completed in 2011.

Continue reading Comcast Continues to Rise

Comcast Continues to Rise originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Comcast Near 52-Week High After Q3 Release

Comcast Near 52-Week High After Q3 Release originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

NBC Universal has been a disappointment for General Electric (GE). Will the company, after the transaction involving it, GE and Comcast (CMCSA) goes through (assuming it does), see an improvement in its future prospects? I sure hope so, but I have to say, if the new leaders simply engage the same old strategies as before, then I don't have a lot of confidence.

It's been reported that Jeff Zucker will be leaving. On the surface, one might, on an instinctual level, feel positive about the exit of the studio's CEO. As we all know, change can be good; reboots can oftentimes act as catalysts that transform an operation into a stronger entity.

Continue reading Comcast Needs to Make NBC Universal Work

Comcast Needs to Make NBC Universal Work originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 25 Sep 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Distribution of content fascinates me. So does compensation for the talent that generates the content. In my mind, talent is extremely overcompensated via pricey salaries and overgenerous profit-participation schemes. The demands of talent constitute a friction working against the goal of increasing shareholder value in the media industry. Time and time again, we see evidence of the thesis.

These were my thoughts as I checked out Steve Levitan's comments on streaming practices at ABC.com and Hulu that were made in an interview at The Hollywood Reporter. Levitan is one of the creators of the excellent Modern Family series. That really is a quality show, and I'm glad ABC possesses it in its programming portfolio. I'm a shareholder of Disney (DIS), as you might have guessed.

Continue reading Steve Levitan and Hulu: Media Shareholders Should Pay Attention

Steve Levitan and Hulu: Media Shareholders Should Pay Attention originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:40:00 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.

Continue reading Remaining Bullish on Disney After Q2

Remaining Bullish on Disney After Q2 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CBS (CBS), the famous broadcaster whose competitors include Disney (DIS), General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, and News Corp. (NWS), reported Q1 earnings after the bell on Wednesday. This afternoon, the stock is firmly in the red: at the time of this writing, shares were down over 4% to $14.93. Below $15, can you believe it? Volume is very strong with more than two hours to go before the close of regular activities, so by the time this is published, volume might end up being quite impressive.

The 52-week high on the stock is $16.98. The market has been discounting better times ahead for the company, as the following one-year chart seems to indicate.

Continue reading CBS: Better Income, Cash Flow in Q1

CBS: Better Income, Cash Flow in Q1 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 May 2010 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News Corp. (NWS), a media conglomerate whose colleagues include CBS (CBS), Disney (DIS), General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, Time Warner (TWX), and Viacom (VIA), issued its Q3 report Tuesday after the bell. I thought things looked pretty good.

Net sales increased 19%, and net income calculated out to 32 cents per share; Bloomberg Businessweek says the expectation was for around 23 cents per share of profit. Very cool. If you reference the actual press release, you'll see that just about all the operating segments performed extremely well on a year-over-year basis.

Continue reading News Corp.'s Q3: Good Enough to Buy?

News Corp.'s Q3: Good Enough to Buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 May 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (DIS), a major media company that competes with CBS (CBS), General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, News Corp. (NWS), Sony (SNE), Time Warner (TWX), and Viacom (VIA), offered up fiscal Q1 data after the bell on Tuesday. From the looks of things, the Mouse had a good quarter.

According to my earnings preview, the call was for net income to come in at 39 cents per share on an adjusted basis. Disney actually made 47 cents per share. Not only was that a more than acceptable beat, but it represents growth of 15%.

Continue reading Disney Starts Off the New Fiscal Year with Solid Results

Disney Starts Off the New Fiscal Year with Solid Results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We all knew News Corp.'s (NWS) Avatar would cede the top spot to some film someday. To be honest, I didn't think Sony's (SNE) Dear John would be the one to do it.

According to Box Office Mojo, John grossed roughly $32 million at domestic theaters. That was more than enough to put the sci-fi flick in second place. However, no one should feel sad for News Corp.; Avatar's worldwide haul now stands at over $2.2 billion.

Continue reading Should 'Avatar' Be Rushed to DVD Now That It Is in Second Place?

Should 'Avatar' Be Rushed to DVD Now That It Is in Second Place? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Comcast (CMCSA) published fourth-quarter numbers earlier today. On a reported basis, net income more than doubled to 33 cents per share. According to Reuters, the cable company earned 29 cents per share on an adjusted basis, beating estimates by two pennies.

Management loves to promote its ability to generate free cash flow. There was an increase in this metric of just under 21% for the twelve-month period. I love free-cash generation, and I appreciate this example of growth, but one thing should be pointed out: operational cash flow was flat. As the earnings release stated, a reduction in capital expenditures was mostly responsible for the expansion. Free cash flow was down 11% for the fourth quarter itself, sorry to say.

Continue reading Comcast Down on Q4 Release

Comcast Down on Q4 Release originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News Corp. (NWS), the media conglomerate that competes with Disney (DIS), Time Warner (TWX), and General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, posted Q2 data after the bell on Tuesday. Shareholders should have few complaints on this one.

Revenues went up 10%, and earnings on an adjusted basis jumped well over 60% to 25 cents per share. According to Reuters, the estimate was 20 cents per share. Besides the beat, cash from operations was a lot better in the current six-month period. In the comparable frame, cash was used to fund operating activities.

Continue reading News Corp. Reports Fantastic Second Quarter

News Corp. Reports Fantastic Second Quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

General Electric Company (GE) is not a stock beloved by its shareholders. I'm one of them, and I can tell you that I sometimes find myself still unable to process the fall the once mighty icon of Wall Street has taken because of too much financial exposure. I look to every earnings report for signs of a true recovery in the conglomerate, a restoration to its former glory. The latest Q4 report doesn't necessarily do anything to point me in such direction, but I keep trying to tell myself it's going to be a while, and to hang in there.

According to the company press release, GE, whose colleagues include Citigroup, Inc. (C) and United Technologies (UTX), experienced a 10% drop in total sales and a 22% decline in per-share profit, the latter coming in at 28 cents from continuing operations. Thankfully, 28 cents was a couple pennies above the estimate given at Earnings.com.

Continue reading General Electric's Fourth Quarter Shows Profit Drop

General Electric's Fourth Quarter Shows Profit Drop originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

NBC Universal, which recently was the subject of a proposed transaction between General Electric (GE) and Comcast (CMCSA), is having a serious problem with The Jay Leno Show. It's not performing well in the ratings. But wait, there's more, as a typical infomercial narrator might intone: The Tonight Show isn't faring any better under the aegis of Conan O'Brien.

Worse, the issues with the 10 PM Leno programming asset go beyond just his ratings. The show is exerting a negative halo effect over the local newscasts. If you don't have a strong lead-in, then the content that follows will suffer.

Continue reading The Leno/O'Brien Puzzle: What Should NBC Do?

The Leno/O'Brien Puzzle: What Should NBC Do? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The DVD market continues to disappoint. There's an article over at The Hollywood Reporter discussing the industry and its sorry state. According to the piece, sales of discs are down 13% at the end of the third quarter.

Interestingly enough, the article goes on to give a positive spin to the news by pointing out that the Blu-ray format is gaining traction, and that digital distribution and rental of discs are also acting as offsetting elements. While that may be true, I'm not so sure I can be as positive, because I still believe that the studios have a long way to go in terms of answering the DVD issue.

Continue reading A resolution for Hollywood in the new year: Get home video moving again

A resolution for Hollywood in the new year: Get home video moving again originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I'm sure many observers believe Disney is gearing up for a prosperous 2010. If you pull up a one-year chart over at AOL quotes, you'll note the remarkable uptrend the shares have been in; this uptrend is not only appealing to traders, but to investors as well. Investors like me.

Continue reading Disney receives new price target -- should I be impressed?

Disney receives new price target -- should I be impressed? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I read a piece over at the Los Angeles Times about the rapidity of changes going on within Disney's (DIS) studio system. As a shareholder, I'm hoping for the best, but I'm not expecting much. Sometimes it's better that way when it comes to the Mouse. Those who have owned the stock as long as I have know what I'm talking about.

The cited article discusses the moves being made by the new studio head, Rich Ross. He replaced the well-respected Dick Cook. Well-respected or not, Cook had to go. I concurred with CEO Bob Iger's perception that a change in leadership was necessary for the celluloid portion of the Disney business model.

Continue reading Will Rich Ross really have a positive impact on Disney's movie operations?

Will Rich Ross really have a positive impact on Disney's movie operations? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (DIS), the media company behind Mickey Mouse and Buzz Lightyear, and whose colleagues in the industry include CBS (CBS), General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, News Corp. (NWS), Sony Corporation (SNE), Time Warner (TWX), and Viacom (VIA), reported results for Q4 and the full fiscal year on Thursday after the bell. While the bottom line came in ahead of expectations, I have to say that the release was disappointing to this shareholder.

Earnings on an adjusted basis for the quarter came in at 46 cents per share, higher than the number predicted by analysts. Unfortunately, as I go through the data, I don't think I'm too comforted by such income performance.

Continue reading Disney's Q4: Bob Iger beats Wall Street, but he needs a better plan for the studio

Disney's Q4: Bob Iger beats Wall Street, but he needs a better plan for the studio originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (DIS), a media business that competes with Viacom (VIA), CBS (CBS), News Corp. (NWS), and General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, will be talking up its fourth-quarter numbers on Thursday after the bell. Are you a shareholder? If so, are you excited? Well, don't get too excited, because we might not be getting any growth, even if the Mouse beats on the bottom line. According to Earnings.com, the call is for 40 cents per share versus the 43 cents per share made in the comparable period.

You know what, though? For the most part, I'm not so concerned with exactly how much Disney makes this quarter. I'm a shareholder, and I want to see management at least come in at the estimate, of course, but I'll be more interested in the conference call. Way more interested this time around, in fact.

Continue reading Disney to report earnings Thursday: Should investors be excited?

Disney to report earnings Thursday: Should investors be excited? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.