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☆ Interest rates and the AI-fueled rally remain top of mind for stock investors in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The Fed and economic policy were top of mind this week given the central bank's Wednesday decision to yet again leave interest rates unchanged , as it has since last summer. This week included the conclusion of April's trading month, which marked the first down month of the year for all three major market averages. Indeed, some recent earnings reports have raised doubts about the economy, with brands from McDonald's and Starbucks evidencing signs of strain among consumers. While no new inflation numbers are scheduled for release next week, investors will see reports on March wholesale inventories, March consumer credit and May consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan. AI trade Though interest rates took center stage this week, investors also continued monitoring companies tied to the artificial intelligence boom amid the stocks' recent choppiness.

Persons: they're, Jerome Powell, Larry Tentarelli, David Donabedian, Sam Stovall, There's, Stovall, Tom Hainlin, Tentarelli, CFRA's Stovall, Lyft, Cabot, Aramark, Tempur Sealy, Nikola, Walt Disney, Sally Beauty, Warby Parker, Krispy Kreme, Papa John's Organizations: Federal Reserve, Treasury, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, CIBC Private Wealth, Dow, CFRA, Citigroup, Bank of America, U.S, Bank Wealth Management, University of Michigan, Nvidia, Disney, Spirit Airlines, Tyson Foods, Pharmaceuticals, Lucid, Palantir Technologies, Simon Property, Tech, Lab, Goodyear Tire, Noble Corp, Vornado Realty, Coty, BellRing, Consumer, UBS, BP, Nintendo, Bloomin, Duke Energy, Rockwell Automation, Ferrari, NRG Energy, Electronic Arts, Cirrus, Adaptive Biotech, Arista Networks, Dutch Bros, Holdings, Virgin Galactic, IAC, Rivian Automotive, Brighthouse, Occidental Petroleum, Assurant, Kinross Gold, Labs, Diamond, Reddit, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Embraer, Health, United Parks & Resorts, Emerson Electric, Brookfield , New York Times, Food, Reynolds Consumer Products, Teva Pharma, Uber Technologies, Dine Brands, Liberty Broadband, Fox Corp, Cushman &, Liberty Media, Arm Holdings, Kodiak Gas Services, Solaredge Technologies, AMC Entertainment, Cheesecake, News Corp, Toyota Motors, Fair, US Foods, Hyatt Hotels, Warner Bros, Hilton, Warner Music Group, Unity Software, Insurance, Gen, Honda, AMC Networks Locations: Central, McDonald's, Expeditors, Occidental, Angi, Brookfield , New, Ambev, Cushman & Wakefield, Michigan

☆ Wall Street is overreacting to new sports joint venture, says EW Scripps CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Local TV station owners including Sinclair, TEGNA and EW Scripps all saw their valuations plummet this week after Disney , Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox announced a new sports joint venture set to launch this fall. But Wall Street's reaction is overblown, according to EW Scripps CEO Adam Symson. This means consumers of the new bundle will be able to get their local news and sports from ABC and Fox. A spokesperson for the joint venture declined to comment.

Persons: Sinclair, TEGNA, Adam Symson, Symson, he's Organizations: Scripps, Disney, Warner Bros . Discovery, Fox, ESPN, TNT, CBS, NBC, ABC, wouldn't, CNBC, Affiliates, YouTube, Hulu, Live Locations: Phoenix, Detroit, Cleveland, Tampa

☆ Byron Allen, offering $14 billion for Paramount, has a long history of media bids that haven't materialized
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Ryan Anastasio | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of the Allen Media Group, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on May 2, 2022. Byron Allen, the media mogul offering $14 billion for Paramount Global , told CNBC on Wednesday that he has the money to finance a deal, despite skepticism around his deal-making. Allen told CNBC he hasn't received a response from Paramount to his most recent offer. Paramount reported in its third-quarter earnings report that its streaming platform, Paramount+, increased its subscriber count to 63 million. Allen told CNBC he wants to buy Paramount for its linear networks, what he says is the most challenging part of the company.

Persons: Byron Allen, Allen, hasn't, Shari Redstone, David Ellison's, Tegna Allen, of Famer Babe Ruth, Babe Ruth, Ruth, Paramount's, — CNBC's Alex Sherman, Julia Boorstin Organizations: Allen Media Group, Milken Institute Global Conference, Paramount Global, CNBC, Federal Communications Commission, Street, Paramount, CBS, Showtime, Nickelodeon, Media, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, Black Entertainment Television, VH1, Bloomberg, Scripps, ABC, Disney, National Football League's, The Weather, of Famer, Netflix, CNBC PRO Locations: Beverly Hills , California, U.S, E.W

☆ Goldman Sachs gives 3 investment strategies for an expensive stock market
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In fact, the S & P 500 is currently at about the same valuation Goldman Sachs expected it to end 2024. Weak pricing power Another trade is owning businesses with weak pricing power. "During periods of improving profitability, investors often reduce the scarcity premium assigned to strong pricing power stocks, and firms with less pricing power and more variable profit margins typically outperform." Some companies with weak pricing power include Freshpet , according to a Goldman Sachs stock screen. Own consumer staples Meanwhile, consumer staples are at an attractive valuation compared to utilities.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, David Kostin, Kostin, Russell, what's, TD Cowen, Roblox, D.R, Consumer Staples, Tyson Organizations: CNBC, Survey, WisdomTree, Hertz Global Holdings, Consumer, Utilities, Tyson Foods, Pilgrim's Locations: Horton , Texas

☆ Goldman says small caps to beat large caps this year. 10 cheap smaller stocks to buy
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Small-cap stocks could finally break out above their large-cap peers in 2024, according to Goldman Sachs portfolio strategists. Small caps lagged large caps by a wide margin in 2023, with the Russell 2000 climbing about 15% compared to a 24% gain for the S & P 500. Snider ties the optimistic outlook for small-cap stocks to Goldman's macroeconomic outlook for the coming year, which anticipates 2% growth in U.S. gross domestic product. The forecast 15% return for the Russell 2000 this year also matches the index's historical median return of 16% during presidential election years going back to 1984, Goldman argued. TGNA 1Y mountain TEGNA stock.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Russell, Ben Snider, Goldman, Snider, Tegna, WisdomTree, Ziff Davis, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Nvidia, Apple, NBC, WT, Research, Technologies, Comcast, CNBC

☆ Will 2024 bring good tidings to media and telecom companies? That's unlikely
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-19 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Still, legacy media companies including Disney, Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Since the "Great Netflix Correction" of 2022, there isn't a unifying growth narrative for media and entertainment companies. Disney, Paramount Global and NBCUniversal have all pegged 2025 as their flagship streaming services' first full year of profitability. Beyond financial metrics, several executives privately acknowledged morale has become an increasing concern at legacy media companies. One executive noted he's increasingly hearing from peers that running media and entertainment companies just isn't as fun as it was five or 10 years ago.

Persons: Corey Martin, Granderson Des Rochers, Martin, Jerome Powell, Liu Jie, Shari Redstone, David A, CNBC Shari Redstone, Biden, Sinclair, Lina Khan, Joe Biden, Khan, There's, John Harrison, Brian Roberts, Drew Angerer, Donald Trump, Trump, David Zaslav, Michael M, Disney, Nelson Peltz, Jay Rasulo, Bob Iger, he's, LightShed's Rich Greenfield Organizations: Universal Studios, Warner Bros . Discovery, Disney, Paramount Global, Comcast, Granderson, U.S, Federal, Washington , D.C, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Allen, Co . Media, Technology Conference, Grogan, CNBC, Trump, Nexstar, Gray Television, Federal Trade, Verizon, Mobile, NBCUniversal, CBS, NBC, EY, Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, Trump's Department, Justice, Time Warner, Republican, Democratic, Netflix, Cable, Warner Bros, New York Times, Santiago, Getty Images Media, Management, Paramount Locations: Washington ,, United States, Sun Valley , Idaho, Tegna, Europe, U.S, EY Americas, New York City

☆ Altice USA in talks to sell Cheddar News to private equity firm Regent
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-11 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Altice USA is in talks to sell the financial news streaming service Cheddar News to LA-based private equity firm Regent LP, according to people familiar with the matter. Instead, Altice USA would participate in Cheddar's future performance as part of a so-called "earn out" structure. Since then, Altice USA, the fourth-largest U.S. cable provider, behind Comcast , Charter and Cox, has looked to shed assets as its stock price has plummeted. Altice USA has also considered selling U.S. cable asset Suddenlink but dropped those plans in late 2022. The New York Times reported Altice USA was considering selling Cheddar earlier this year.

Persons: Jon Steinberg, Dexter Goei, Steinberg, Goei, Regent, Ralph Lauren, Regent didn't Organizations: USA, Regent, Altice, CNBC, Altice USA, Comcast, Cox, Sightline Media, Sunset Magazine, Time Inc, Club Monaco, New York Times Locations: LA, USA, Altice USA, U.S, Tegna

☆ Disney starts drafting broadcast TV’s grand finale
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

It was pretty much the only way to watch “Gunsmoke” or “Howdy Doody” until cable networks arrived in force in the 1980s, bundled together for a monthly subscription fee. For Disney, ABC represented a watershed moment. Look deeper and the big broadcasters attracted only one in five viewers, while one in three watched cable networks. The TV group, excluding cable networks such as Fox News, generated an EBITDA margin of nearly 12% for the year ending June 30. Assume any deal includes cable networks such as Disney Channel and National Geographic.

Persons: Walt Disney, Bob Iger, ”, Howdy Doody, Fox, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Eisner, Iger, what’s, “ Abbott, Singer, Morgan Stanley, Disney’s, they’re, reckons Morgan Stanley, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Magic Kingdom, ABC, Disney, ESPN, Charter Communications, American Broadcasting Company, NBC, CBS, Capital Cities, RJR Nabisco, Paramount Global, Comcast, Warner Bros Discovery, Fox, Paramount, National Football League, NFL, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Bloomberg, Apple, Nielsen, BET, Wall Street Journal, Charter, U.S . Federal Communications Commission, Local, Disney Channel, Geographic, Apollo Global Management, TPG, Walt Disney, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States

☆ The media industry is in turmoil, and that's not changing anytime soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

All of this turmoil will be on investors' minds as the media industry kicks off its earnings season this week, with Netflix up first on Wednesday. Netflix, with a new advertising model and push to stop password sharing, looks the best positioned compared with legacy media giants. At the top of the list is contending with Disney's TV networks, as that part of the business appears to be in a worse state than Iger had imagined. The labor fight blew up just as the industry has moved away from streaming growth at all costs. Last week's ruling from a federal judge that Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of game publisher Activision Blizzard should move forward serves as a rare piece of good news for the media industry.

Persons: Mike Blake, Bob Iger, Iger, Bob Iger's, Michael Nathanson, SVB, CNBC's David Faber, Nathanson, Producers –, Mark Boidman, Ross Benes, Benes, Comcast's NBCUniversal, Solomon, Boidman, Random, Paramount's Simon, Schuster, Tegna, Jason Anderson, Peter Liguori, Anderson, HBO Max, Homer, Marge Getty Organizations: Guild of America, Netflix, Alliance, Producers, Reuters, Disney, Disney's, Paramount Global, Comcast, Warner Bros, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, Media, Solomon Partners, CNBC, Hollywood, Intelligence, ABC, Paramount, BET, NBC Sports, USA, Discovery, Activision, Federal Trade Commission, dealmaking, Microsoft, Tribune Media, Max, HBO, Amazon, MGM, Sky, Fox Corp, FOX Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, MoffettNathanson, Hulu

Fox will pay $6 million, and CBS, now known as Paramount Global (PARA.O), will pay $5 million, the court filing showed. Representatives for Cox, Fox and CBS either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Representatives from those defendants either declined to comment on the pending litigation or did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Plaintiffs' attorney Megan Jones at law firm Hausfeld, on Tuesday did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The case is In re: Local TV Advertising Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, No.

Persons: Cox, District Judge Virginia Kendall, schemed, Sinclair, Kendall, Megan Jones, Hausfeld, Freed, Robins Kaplan, Jennifer Giordano, George Cary, Cleary Gottlieb Steen, Nathan Eimer, Eimer Stahl, Weil, Brian Sher, Bryan Cave Leighton, Mike Scarcella, Leigh Jones Organizations: Fox, CBS, Cox Media Group, Fox Corp, CBS Corp, Northern, Northern District of Illinois, Paramount Global, U.S, District Judge, Cox, Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc, Scripps Company, TEGNA Inc, U.S . Justice Department, Local, Antitrust Litigation, Northern District of, Millen, Latham, Watkins, Hamilton, Thomson Locations: U.S, Northern District, Chicago, Northern District of Illinois

☆ Canceled TV deal cuts one loan cord
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, May 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Banks can tune out one painful summer rerun. Television broadcaster Tegna (TGNA.N) on Tuesday terminated its sale to hedge fund Standard General, letting banks off the hook for $8.2 billion in debt backing the deal. As a result, Standard General couldn’t finance its transaction. Chipping away at the $25 billion-plus pile of hung loans potentially frees banks up to start fresh. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski 'needs to be fired', says Allen Media Group CEO Byron Allen
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMcDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski 'needs to be fired', says Allen Media Group CEO Byron AllenByron Allen, Allen Media Group CEO and chairman, joins 'Last Call' to discuss its recent attempt to buy TEGNA, the future of local news, his open letter to Carl Icahn, and much more.

☆ These are investor Mario Gabelli's favorite value stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Billionaire investor Mario Gabelli is finding some value buying opportunities in this murky macroenvironment. Due to its reasonable balance sheet, solid management and defense tailwinds, Gabelli said investors can make 50% on their investment in two years' time. Finally, Gabelli highlighted Grupo Televisa SAB , a Latin American media company based in Mexico. In 2021, Grupo Televisa agreed to sell its media and content division in a deal valued at $4.8 billion, while maintaining a stake in the newly formed TelevisaUnivision. A potential public offering in the next year and a half should also benefit Grupo Televisa, now trading under $5 a share, Gabelli said.

☆ A Big Donor, Nancy Pelosi and the FCC
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

We recently told you that Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel ’s move to scuttle Standard General’s acquisition of TV station operator Tegna Inc. is dubious as a matter of law. Now evidence suggests she may have been doing the bidding of a major Democratic donor. Byron Allen ’s Allen Media Group made a play for Tegna in autumn 2021. Bloomberg News reported at the time that he was seeking to raise money from investment funds to buy Tegna and roll his existing stations into the new company. Around the same time, Mr. Allen made several contributions to then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic campaign committees.

☆ Elizabeth Warren leads cavalry into deal battles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It would be the third curious regulatory intervention in recent weeks, each encouraged by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren. In a September letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Warren argued that the DOT should use its own tools, specifically in the Spirit situation. UnitedHealth (UNH.N) beat back a federal lawsuit against its plan to buy Change Healthcare; Facebook owner Meta Platforms (META.O) shrugged off an FTC attempt to stop its purchase of fitness app developer Within. JetBlue says it built time for a lawsuit into the Spirit merger agreement. As the senator charges up the competition cavalry, dealmakers may have to redraw their battle plans.

☆ Standard General to press on with Tegna purchase despite FCC action
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Standard General on Monday said it would press on with its plan to buy television station operator Tegna (TGNA.N) for $5.4 billion despite a decision by the Federal Communications Commission Media Bureau to hold hearings on the proposed deal. Hedge fund Standard General said the decision to hold hearings was "tantamount to denying" the deal. "Standard General is calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to formally vote now on the proposed transaction and render a decision on the merits," the company said in a statement. The FCC, which regulates telecommunications, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The FCC said on Friday it would hold a hearing on the planned acquisition of Tegna, which manages 64 stations in 51 U.S. markets.

☆ U.S. orders hearing for Standard General bid for Tegna
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates the U.S. telecoms industry, on Friday said it would hold a hearing on hedge fund Standard General's bid for TV station operator Tegna Inc (TGNA.N), a step that has historically led deals to collapse. Tegna, which manages 64 stations in 51 U.S. markets, agreed in February to be acquired by Standard General in a $5.4 billion all-cash deal that would take the company private. Standard General, which is Tegna's third-largest shareholder, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The announcement comes after Standard General said earlier this week that the U.S. Justice Department had allowed its review period to expire without taking any action. Reporting by Diane Bartz and David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Standard General says only FCC approval left for Tegna deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Hedge fund Standard General said its proposed acquisition of TV station operator Tegna Inc (TGNA.N) only needs Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval after the U.S. Department of Justice reviewed it without mounting any challenge. Standard General said in a statement on Tuesday that the so-called Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period, which gives antitrust regulators time to review the deal, had expired. Tegna shares ended trading in New York on Wednesday at their highest level since September, as investors assigned a higher probability to the deal closing. The discount to the $24-per-share deal price - which Tegna and Standard General agreed to in February 2022 - reflects lingering uncertainty over whether the FCC will let the deal go through. Standard General added in the statement it now expects the deal with Tegna, which is valued at $8.6 billion, including debt, to close in March or April, subject to approval by the FCC.

☆ Digital ad firm Kargo is acquiring a video tech firm in a deal that could be worth $100 million to move into streaming TV ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The acquisition is aimed at giving Kargo inroads into the surging streaming TV ad market. Advertising technology firm Kargo has acquired VideoByte, a video tech firm that helps advertisers make ads for streaming TV platforms. Three-year-old VideoByte sells an ad server that lets advertisers run custom ads on streaming TV platforms. Kargo's competitors PubMatic and Magnite, for instance, have rapidly built out products that let publishers run ads in streaming TV platforms. As part of Kargo's move into streaming TV, the company has also hired Jennifer Pelino as chief strategy officer.

☆ 2022 was tough for media stocks like Netflix and Disney, and 2023 doesn't look good, either
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

On top of that, companies are contending with lower ad revenue and more cord cutting. Tightening ad marketOn top of this, the ad market has worsened. Paramount missed third-quarter estimates after its ad revenue dropped, with its stock hitting a low in the following days. "We also anticipate that advertising streaming will become more important in the year to come," Solomon Partners' Boidman said. For media companies like Comcast and Charter Communications , lagging subscriber growth on the broadband front, rather than the pay-TV business, weighed more significantly on their stocks.

☆ These are the rare inflation-busting stocks that are in the green this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

These stocks have managed to increase gross margins in the past year despite rising costs. What's more, these stocks are also less volatile than the overall stock market and are in the green for the year. Here are the 17 rare stocks that came up after searching a FactSet database of 1,500 stocks. Cal-Maine Foods saw the largest increase in margins over the last year, rising by 31 percentage points. Despite surging inflation, Coterra grew margins by 27.1 percentage points and Exxon by 4 percentage points.

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