Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Boosts Position in News Corporation (NASDAQ:NWSA)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in News Corporation by 133.1%, owning a total of 208,218 shares valued at approximately $5.67 million.
• News Corporation reported a net margin of 5.18% and a quarterly revenue of $2.01 billion, which exceeded analysts' expectations.
• There have been recent changes in analyst ratings for News, with a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $39.20.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in shares of News Corporation (NASDAQ:NWSA - Free Report) by 133.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 208,218 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 118,908 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in News were worth $5,668,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of News in the fourth quarter valued at $1,171,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of News by 59.5% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 172,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,756,000 after acquiring an additional 64,438 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of News by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 59,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,634,000 after acquiring an additional 4,493 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of News by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 244,855 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,743,000 after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares during the period. Finally, Korea Investment CORP boosted its position in shares of News by 82.9% in the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 296,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,154,000 after acquiring an additional 134,200 shares during the period. 66.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded News from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of News in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on News from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, News currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $39.20.

News Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of News stock traded down $0.16 on Monday, reaching $29.37. 2,330,209 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,387,548. The company has a market capitalization of $16.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.15 and a beta of 1.23. News Corporation has a 52 week low of $23.38 and a 52 week high of $30.75. The firm's 50-day moving average is $28.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.68.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.19 by ($0.02). News had a return on equity of 5.64% and a net margin of 5.18%. The firm had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. News's revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that News Corporation will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About News

News Corporation, a media and information services company, creates and distributes authoritative and engaging content, and other products and services for consumers and businesses worldwide. It operates through six segments: Digital Real Estate Services, Subscription Video Services, Dow Jones, Book Publishing, News Media, and Other.