Sunday, January 25, 2015

Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now

Social-media job recruiter, LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD  ) is reporting results later today. While the Street is still sifting through Apple's earnings report and eagerly awaiting results from LinkedIn's social-media brethren, Facebook� (NASDAQ: FB  ) , could investors be overlooking an opportunity with LinkedIn? What should LinkedIn investors know, and what can LinkedIn learn from Facebook?

Amazing revenue growth must continue
S&P's Capital IQ consensus estimates project LinkedIn to report revenue of $385.5 million, an amazing 53% higher than last year's quarter. Revenue growth is extremely important and will be watched closely; investors have been extremely bullish on LinkedIn's prospects and have bid the company up from a price-to-sales ratio of 12 to its current ratio of nearly 23. If LinkedIn doesn't hit this ambitious goal, it's possible we could see a large selloff.

Guidance is important too
In addition to reporting phenomenal revenue for this quarter, LinkedIn must provide positive guidance for next quarter and the upcoming year. While the current consensus revenue estimate is receiving the most attention, lost is the fact that analysts are expecting LinkedIn to increase this quarter's revenue by over 40% in the September 2014 quarter by reporting $544.8 million.

Hot Oil Companies To Invest In 2015: Time Warner Cable Inc(TWC)

Time Warner Cable Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a cable operator in the United States. It offers video, high-speed data, and voice services over its broadband cable systems to residential and commercial customers. The company provides a range of video services, including on-demand, high-definition (HD), and digital video recorder (DVR) services; residential high-speed data services with connection to the Internet; wireless mobile broadband Internet services; and digital phone services to residential customers. It offers video programming tiers and music services; high-speed data, networking, and transport services; and commercial digital phone service to small and medium-sized businesses under the Time Warner Cable Business Class brand. Further, Time Warner Cable Inc. sells advertising to various national, regional, and local customers. As of June 30, 2011, the company served approximately 14.5 million residential and commercial customers in the New Yor k State, the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California, and Texas. Time Warner Cable Inc. is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By James E. Brumley]

    The cable-television M&A chatter is making its rounds again, this time with Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE:TWC), and Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) pegged as the three points of the ever-changing parties of a never-ending love triangle. The buzz is, well, was that CHTR was first in line to nab TWC. Today, however, it's starting to look like CMCSA is more seriously interested in Time Warner Cable than first thought. TWC shares jumped on the doubly-good news that it may well become the prize in a bidding war between Charter Communications and Comcast Corporation. Meanwhile, CMCSA shares have jumped (albeit not quite as firmly) on the prospect of its ownership of TWC. What's interesting - and perhaps telling - is the fact that not only have CHTR shares not soared in the wake of what would normally be viewed as good news, but Charter shares have actually stumbled heading into the possible bidding war. Might this be an omen of what's actually in store for Charter Communications?

Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Discovery Communications Inc(DISCA)

Discovery Communications, Inc. operates as a non fiction media and entertainment company worldwide. The company provides original and purchased programming across various distribution platforms. Its content covers science, exploration, survival, natural history, sustainability of the environment, technology, docu-series, anthropology, paleontology, history, space, archaeology, health and wellness, engineering, adventure, lifestyles, forensics, civilization, and current events. The company owns and operates nine national television networks in the United States, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Military Channel, Planet Green, Discovery Fit & Health, and Velocity. Discovery Communications also has interests in Oprah Winfrey Network, a pay-television network and Web site; The Hub that features original programming, game shows, and live-action series and specials; and 3net, a three-dimensional network. In addition, it o ffers network branded Web sites, and mobile and video-on-demand services; and distributes various national and pan-regional television networks. Further, the company develops and sells curriculum-based products and services to public and private K-12 schools, such as access to an online VOD service that includes curriculum-based tools, professional development services, and student assessment and publication of hardcopy curriculum-based content; and postproduction audio services to motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies, and interactive producers. As of December 31, 2011, it operated approximately 150 distribution feeds in 40 languages. The company is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jake Mann]

    In 2015, I will be paying close attention the media sector...I have highlighted several stocks in 2014 that I thought were winners in the sector going forward with AMC Networks Inc (NASDAQ: AMCX), Discovery Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA), Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA), and Crown Media Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: CRWN) the ones I like best.

  • [By Tom Taulli]

    Still, BCE has a strong brand and substantial financial resources, as well as a top-notch network that reaches more than 70% of Canadians. BCE also has the advantage of owning premium content, with rights to programming for Discovery (DISCA) and Viacom’s (VIAB) MTV. Its prospects also look bright with concern to mobile, where the company has invested heavily in its payments solutions.

  • [By Vera Yuan]

    Dear Fellow Shareholder: The U.S. economy continues to gradually expand, building on the 5+ year recovery from the Great Recession. Employment levels are improving, though progress has been slower than expected. Inflation, for now, remains subdued. As signaled and on cue, the Fed has been weaning the economy (and investors) off of the extraordinary ��uantitative easing��stimulus. Investors have generally shrugged off world events that might otherwise cause high anxiety (ISIS and the Middle East, Russia and Ukraine, etc.). As attention now turns to when the Fed will raise short-term interest rates, it seems plausible that volatility may intensify as the stimulus security blanket is removed. In the meantime, companies are taking advantage of the artificially low interest rate environment and sanguine investor sentiment. Merger activity remains robust, fueled by cheap and readily available credit. The IPO market has been very active, headlined by the successful Alibaba offering in September. Corporate treasurers continue to issue loads of debt on attractive terms, locking in generationally low interest rates for long terms. While these conditions will not last forever, they have helped opportunistic managers accelerate equity value growth at many companies.Investment Commentary and Outlook After three years of seemingly non-stop gains, the stock market took a pause in the third quarter. While most large cap indices eked out modest positive returns, the broader investing waters were far less placid. Small cap stocks sold off as the Russell 2000 declined more than 7% during the quarter. Energy stocks, both large and small, fell materially as investors worried about too much oil and gas supply coming online in North America (what a difference a decade makes). High yield bonds wobbled briefly in July, then again in September. Increasingly, investors are not treating all securities the same, and as stock pickers we welcome this development. Our equity funds��resu

Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)

Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Networks, Filmed Entertainment, and Publishing. The Networks segment provides domestic and international networks, premium pay and basic tier television programming services, and digital media properties, which primarily consist of brand-aligned Websites. Its premium pay television services consist of the multi-channel HBO and Cinemax premium pay television services. This segment provides programming to cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors; sells advertising; and licenses original programming to domestic and international television networks. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces and distributes feature films, television and other programming, and videogames; distributes home video products; and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming, and characters. T he Publishing segment publishes magazines and books; and operates various Websites, as well as engages in marketing services and direct-marketing businesses. This segment publishes magazines on style and entertainment, lifestyle, news, and sports. The company?s brands include TNT, TBS, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

    Nathaniel E. Bell/APA scene from Netflix's "House of Cards," starring Kevin Spacey and Jackie Sharp. NEW YORK -- Americans are turning away from live TV on the tube and tuning in to streaming services, a Nielsen report says. That's bad news for cable and satellite TV providers. Americans are increasingly watching TV shows and movies on Netflix (NFLX), Hulu, Amazon.com (AMZN) streaming and other services. CBS (CBS) and HBO (TWX) have announced standalone streaming services as well. About 45 percent of Americans stream television shows at least once a month, according to research firm eMarketer. That number is expected to increase to 53 percent or 175 million people by 2018, it says. According to the Nielsen report, which came out Wednesday, the average daily time spent watching live TV fell 12 minutes in the third quarter to four hours and 32 minutes. That means it dropped nearly 4 percent to 141 hours a month. Meanwhile, time spent watching streaming services jumped 60 percent to nearly 11 hours each month. That's still a small amount compared with live TV, but it is growing quickly. "Content is still king, but consumers are shaping their own content-discovery experience, and the evolving media landscape has not lessened consumer demand for quality, professionally produced content," Dounia Turrill, senior vice president of insights at Nielsen, said in a statement. "What has changed is the number and reliability of new media available to viewers." Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. More from The Associated Press
    •Takata: Evidence Doesn't Support National Air Bag Recall •Market Wrap: Energy Stocks Lead an Advance on Wall Street •Hershey Explores Removing High-Fructose Corn Syrup

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    The App Store and Amazon�� Appstore also boast the only paid games in their respective top five from publicly traded companies: Heads Up! from the Warner Bros. division of Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) at the App Store and Scribblenauts Remix, also from Warner Bros., at the Appstore. Temple Run: Oz, from The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) is the fourth most popular paid app at the Appstore.

Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR)

Charter Communications, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications solutions to residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company offers cable video programming services, such as basic and digital video, premium channels, OnDemand, pay-per-view, high definition television, digital video recorder, and online video services; Internet services; Charter.net, which provides multiple e-mail addresses, as well as various entertainment, games, news, and sports content; and telephone services. It also provides broadband communications solutions, such as Internet access, data networking, fiber connectivity to cellular towers and office buildings, video entertainment services, and business telephone services under the Charter Business brand name to business and carrier organizations. As of December 31, 2011, the company served approximately 4.1 million video customers; approximately 3.5 million Internet customers; appr oximately 1.7 million telephone customers; and approximately 476,200 commercial primary service units. Charter Communications, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Will Ashworth]

    If other cable companies — like Charter Communications (CHTR), Cablevision (CVC) and Cox Communications — decide to merge in order to keep pace with Comcast, content providers could be under the gun once more.

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