Wine has been in the headlines lately, but for reasons that wine investors aren’t finding very tasty.
Nobles Crus, a wine fund based in Luxembourg, drew the attention of the Financial Times a few months ago over its valuation methods.
More recently, the Cayman-based Vintage Wine Fund announced it was shutting down, citing redemption requests and forced sales in a weak market.
With news that’s pretty hard to swallow, experts say there are some lessons to be had for financial advisors and their oenophile-clients who may be considering investments in wine funds.
Price Fluidity
Many fine wines have generated solid long-term returns with low correlation to traditional financial assets. In the short to intermediate term, however, wine prices are volatile.
The Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 Index, calculated by London-based Live-ex, is frequently cited as a benchmark for the top fine wines’ prices. The index is calculated monthly and tracks price movements of 100 of the most sought-after fine wines for which there is a strong secondary market.
Hot Beverage Stocks To Watch Right Now: News Corporation(NWSA)
News Corporation operates as a diversified media company worldwide. Its Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment, and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators primarily in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in entertainment media, as well as produces and licenses television programming worldwide. Its Television segment operates 27 broadcast television stations in the United States. The company?s Direct Broadcast Satellite Television segment distributes programming services via satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. Its Publishing segment provides newspapers and information services, such as publishing national newspapers in the United Kingdom, approximately 146 newspapers in Australia, and a metropolitan and a national newspaper in the United States; book publishing services, including the publishing of English language books worldwide; and integrated marketing services comprising the publishing of free-standing inserts, which are marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates, and other consumer offers, as well as provides in-store marketing products and services, primarily to consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company also sells advertising, sponsorships, and subscription services on the company?s various digital media properties and outdoor advertising space on various media primarily in Russia and eastern Europe; and provides data systems and professional services that enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver individualized instructions. News Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sue Chang]
On the earnings front, News Corp (NWSA) �is expected to report fiscal first-quarter earnings of 5 cents a share, according to a consensus survey by FactSet. In June, the media company separated its entertainment arm to operate as 21st Century Fox Inc. (FOXA) �while the publishing business retained the News Corp name. News Corp owns The Wall Street Journal and MarketWatch, the publisher of this report.
- [By Seth Jayson]
News Corp. (Nasdaq: NWSA ) reported earnings on May 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q3), News Corp. beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share. - [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]
News Corp. is a media and information services company that has recently spun-off of its very profitable entertainment segment. The company�reported its first quarterly financial results after splitting from 21st Century Fox. The stock has seen progress but is now pulling back as investors book gains. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been on the rise, which has left investors optimistic about the company. Relative to its peers and sector, News Corp. has been a weak year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what News Corp. does this quarter.
Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2014: 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 Paul Ausick]
The country�� two largest cable operators, Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) have reportedly had discussions in the past few months related to a combination. Time Warner took the lead in an apparent attempt to forestall a bid from Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR).
Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2014: 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 GuruFocus]
Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio) reduced to his holdings in General Motors Co by 25%. His sale prices were between $34.09 and $40.95, with an estimated average price of $36.89. The impact to his portfolio due to this sale was -0.4%. Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio) still held 30,000,000 shares as of 03/31/2014.
Reduced: Directv (DTV)Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio) reduced to his holdings in Directv by 5.48%. His sale prices were between $68.11 and $79.99, with an estimated average price of $73.11. The impact to his portfolio due to this sale was -0.13%. Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio) still held 34,514,700 shares as of 03/31/2014.
- [By GURUFOCUS]
Three holdings have been among the largest positive contributors for both the quarter and the first half. DIRECTV (DTV) advanced 9% over the last three months and has risen 23% YTD. We have owned DTV for over eight years as its value has grown along with its price. CEO Mike White is one of our "all-star" partners. He and his team have grown ARPU (average revenue per user) for the company's 20 million U.S. satellite subscribers even as the industry has matured. Management has also made high-return investments in Latin America where subscribers have grown rapidly, making this geographic segment almost half of our DTV appraisal. Management consistently has returned capital to owners through repurchasing undervalued shares, including $1.4 billion in the second quarter.
- [By Alex Planes]
Investors love stocks that consistently beat the Street without getting ahead of their fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with robust and improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Does DIRECTV� (NASDAQ: DTV ) fit the bill? Let's look at what its recent results tell us about its potential for future gains.
- [By Roadmap2Retire]
Investing in AT&T bolsters my portfolio with more exposure to the telecom sector - which I am bullish on. The company is the leader in the telecom world, but the current environment provides for some interesting points. Some of the factors that contributed in my decision to initiate this position.
Dividend income - AT&T provides great current income with prospects of dividend growth in the future. Dogs of the Dow - Some people use this investing strategy to beat the market. While my main goal is not to beat the market, this strategy provides some visibility into the under-to-fairly valued stocks in the DJIA. The strategy, for those unfamiliar, is simply to invest in the highest yielders of the DJIA called the Dogs of the Dow. AT&T is the currently the highest yielder in DJIA. Solid revenue growth & EPS growth: After minimal gains from 2009-2012 in revenue, and a dip in diluted EPS from 2010 to 2011, AT&T has turned the ship around and the current trend is pointing upward. DirecTV (DTV) acquisition - AT&T announced that it intends to acquire DTV, which could provide with considerable amount of revenue growth in the future. Possibility of REIT spinoff - The recent news of Windstream (WIN) spinning off a publicly traded REIT resulted in speculation that other telecom providers would follow suit. If AT&T follows in the footsteps of WIN, that would result in unlocking a lot of value for shareholders. In-Car 4G LTE - AT&T has been at the forefront in this field having secured deals with car manufacturers such as Audi, Tesla (TSLA), General Motors (GM) etc. AT&T could potentially add millions of new subscribers to their customer base as the current and future generation of cars come with a 4G LTE-capability.The bottom line is that the companies that control the data pipes in an ever-connected and integrated digital world will command the marketplace. Telecom service providers (alongside cable service providers) will be able to
Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2014: Liberty Global Inc.(LBTYA)
Liberty Global, Inc. provides video, broadband Internet, and telephony services primarily in Europe and Chile. The company offers broadband services over cable distribution systems, including video, broadband Internet, and telephony; and video services through direct-to-home satellite, or through multichannel multipoint distribution systems. Its analog video services comprise basic and expanded basic programming; and digital cable services include basic and premium programming, digital video recorders, and high definition programming, as well as pay-per-view programming, such as video-on-demand and near video-on-demand. In addition, the company offers voice-over-Internet-protocol and circuit-switched telephony services, as well as mobile telephony services using third-party networks. Further, it owns programming networks that provide video programming channels to multi-channel distribution systems owned by the company and the third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the com pany owned and operated networks that passed 33,262,100 homes; and served 18,405,500 video subscribers, 8,159,300 broadband Internet subscribers, and 6,225,300 telephony subscribers. Liberty Global, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alex Webb]
Kabel Deutschland is a key part of Vodafone�� expansion strategy as the carrier looks for ways to boost revenue and lock in customers with Internet and television offers in addition to wireless service. Kabel Deutschland is the biggest cable company in Germany, Vodafone�� largest market, and had drawn a rival bid from John Malone�� Liberty Global Plc. (LBTYA)
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