Best Information Technology Companies To Own In Right Now: DIRECTV(DTV)
DIRECTV provides digital television entertainment in the United States and Latin America. The company provides direct-to-home (DTH) digital television services, as well as multi-channel video programming distribution services in the United States. It offers various channels of digital-quality video entertainment and CD-quality audio programming directly to subscribers' homes or businesses, as well as video-on-demand services; and approximately 160 national high-definition television channels and 4 3D channels. The company also provides premium professional and collegiate sports programming, such as the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package, which allows subscribers to view the NFL games. In addition, it offers DTH digital television services in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. The company provides its local and international programming under the DIRECTV and SKY brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 19.2 million subscribers in the United States; and 8.9 million subscribers in Latin America. The company was founded in 1990 and is based in El Segundo, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James O'Toole]
AT&T announced last month that it hopes to buy America's biggest satellite television provider, DirecTV (DTV), in a deal worth almost $50 billion. Comcast (CMCSA), meanwhile, is trying to acquire Time Warner Cable (TWC), a $45 billion deal that would create the country's dominant provider of television channels and Internet connections.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Top Headline
On Sunday, AT&T (NYSE: T) announced its plans to buy DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) for $48.5 billion, or $95 per share in a combination of stock and cash. The offer price of $95 per DirecTV share represents a 10 percent premium to closing price of $86.18 on Friday. The deal has a total value of $67.1 billion, including DirecTV's net debt.
Top 5 Media Stocks To Invest In Right Now: CBS Corporation(CBS)
CBS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mass media company in the United States and internationally. The company?s Entertainment segment distributes a schedule of news and public affairs broadcasts, sports, and entertainment programming; produces, acquires, and distributes programming, including series, specials, news, and public affairs; produces and distributes theatrical motion pictures across various genres; and operates online content networks for information and entertainment. Its Cable Networks segment owns and operates multiplexed channels that offers subscription program services, including recently released theatrical feature films, original series, documentaries, boxing, mixed martial arts and other sports-related programming, and special events; and CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour cable program service related to college sports. This segment also owns and manages Smithsonian Networks, which operates Smithsonian Channel, a basic cab le service in the United States. The company?s Publishing segment publishes and distributes adult and children?s consumer books in printed, audio, and digital formats. Its Local Broadcasting segment owns 29 broadcast television stations; owns and operates 130 radio stations in 28 U.S. markets and related online properties; and owns local Websites that combine television and radio local media brands online to provide the latest news, traffic, weather, and sports information, as well as local discounts, directories, and reviews. The company?s Outdoor segment sells advertising space on various media, including billboards, transit shelters and other street furniture, buses, rail systems, mall kiosks, stadium signage, and in retail stores. CBS Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tim Beyers]
Showtime and corporate parent CBS (NYSE: CBS ) have some bloody shoes to fill with ratings winner Dexter, which recently entered its eighth and final season. The cast and producers said goodbye to fans last week at San Diego Comic-Con.
Top 5 Media Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC)
Cablevision Systems Corporation provides telecommunications and media services. It operates in two segments, Telecommunications Services and Other. The Telecommunications Services segment is involved in television business, including video, high-speed data, and VoIP operations, as well as the provision of commercial data and voice services. The Other segment offers Newsday, a daily newspaper; amNewYork, a free daily newspaper; and Star Community Publishing, a group of weekly shopper publications; and newsday.com and exploreLI.com. This segment also engages in motion picture theatre business, Clearview Cinemas; provision of the News 12 Networks, a regional news programming services; and the MSG Varsity network, a network covering high school sports and activities, and other local programs, as well as cable television advertising. Cablevision Systems Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Bethpage, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Reese]
Regional cable TV and Internet provider Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC) on Friday announced better-than-expected third quarter earnings results, reversing a year-ago loss.
Cablevision’s Q3 Earnings in Brief
- Net income totaled $294.6 million, or $1.10 per share, reversing last year’s loss of $3.79 million, or -1 penny per share.
- Revenue rose 1.8% from last year to $1.57 billion.
- Analysts expected much lower earnings of just 11 cents per share, on matching revenue.Latest Dividend Reiterated; Yield Surpasses Peers
In its earnings release, Cablevision announced it would continue its dividend payout of 15 cents per share. The latest dividend will be paid on Dec. 13 with an ex-dividend date of Nov. 20. The company has not raised its dividend payout since May of 2011.Despite the lack of dividend raise, CVC’s dividend yield of 3.84% compares favorably with other stocks in its industry. Time Warner Cable (TWC) offers a yield of 2.2%, while Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) yields just 1.65%. The average dividend yield for S&P 500 companies is around 2.5%, so Cablevision’s yield is well above both its industry average as well as the wider market average. Still, its lofty yield has come more as a result of poor price performance, rather than dividend increases.
Shares Rise, but Still Tail Indexes
Cablevision shares rose more than 2% in early trading on Friday, but the company’s stock performance has lagged the wider markets for quite some time. Year-to-date, CVC has gained about 6%, compared with a 24% gain in the benchmark S&P 500 index. The stock was trading around the $38 level as recently as early 2011, so its dividend yield has risen significantly as its stock price plunged to around $16. - [By Sean Williams]
For a second day in a row, we need to look no further than the broadcasting sector for our best performers. Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC ) and Cablevision (NYSE: CVC ) advanced 8.1% and 3.5%, respectively, on speculation that a wave of mergers and acquisitions would sweep through the sector. If you recall, Gannett�shares soared after announcing a $1.5 billion purchase of Belo�yesterday to expand its national broadcasting presence.
Top 5 Media Stocks To Invest 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 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?
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Susan Walsh/APComcast CEO Brian Roberts at The Cable Show 2013 convention in Washington. Comcast offered to sell 1.4 million pay TV subscribers to Charter Communications for $7.3 billion as part of a transaction aimed at winning regulatory approval for its proposed $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable. Comcast (CMCSA) also said it would divest another 2.5 million subscribers into a new publicly traded company, dubbed SpinCo for now, to be one-third owned by Charter (CHTR) and two-thirds by Comcast shareholders. The deal would make Charter -- whose own bid for Time Warner Cable (TWC) was thwarted by Comcast's higher offer -- the second-biggest U.S. pay TV company with 5.7 million customers, overtaking Cox Communications. Charter's shares rose as much as 10 percent to $142.70 in early trading Monday. Comcast shares were up 1.4 percent at $51.70. Comcast would have less than 30 percent of the U.S. residential cable or satellite TV market after the deal, the company said in a statement. The agreement is contingent on Comcast's Time Warner Cable deal being approved by the Justice Department and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, a process that could take many months. Analysts said the deal was a pre-emptive move by Comcast ahead of a review of the deal by regulators. "Comcast wanted to do this deal now with Charter so it could get in front of regulators at the Justice Department and the FCC at the same time as the Time Warner Cable deal," a source familiar with the matter said. The source said there was a standstill agreement with Charter stipulating that it can't gain full control of SpinCo for four years. Comcast will have no ownership in SpinCo. SpinCo would have an estimated enterprise value of $14.3 billion and an equity value of $5.8 billion, Charter and Comcast said in an investor presentation. The divestments, mostly in the U.S. Midwest, would deliver about $19.5 billion in value to Comcast shareholders, the companies said. "For
- [By Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]
Comcast Corp.(CMCSA) and Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR) reached an agreement for Comcast to divest millions of subscribers, helping it smooth over regulatory concerns involving its $45 billion deal for Time Warner Cable Inc.(TWC) As part of the agreement, Comcast will divest about 1.4 million existing Time Warner Cable customers directly to Charter for cash. Shares of Charter edged up 1.5% to $132 premarket.
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
If Liberty is able to swallow Sirius, it gives Liberty access to the satellite radio leader’s full free cash flow of about $625 million. That will almost certainly be used in Liberty’s pursuit of Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC). Liberty holds about a�27% stake in Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) and has been trying to put together the financing to buy out the much larger Time Warner.
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