News (NASDAQ:NWS) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Downgrade: Zacks Research cut News (NASDAQ:NWS) from "strong-buy" to "hold" and Weiss Ratings lowered it to "hold (c+)", leaving the consensus analyst rating at Hold.
• Quarterly beat: News reported $0.40 EPS vs. $0.25 expected and $2.31B in revenue, and shares rose roughly 2.1% after the release.
• Valuation and ownership: the stock trades near $28.70 with a market cap of $15.94 billion and a P/E of 14.14, while institutional investors hold about 14.63% of the shares.

News (NASDAQ:NWS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered News from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold".

News Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:NWS opened at $28.70 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.69. The stock has a market cap of $15.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.14 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a 50 day moving average of $27.35 and a 200-day moving average of $29.23. News has a one year low of $25.49 and a one year high of $35.58.

News (NASDAQ:NWS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. News had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 5.94%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that News will post 1.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On News

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of News during the second quarter worth $30,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of News in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in News by 97.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,178 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the period. Arax Advisory Partners acquired a new stake in News during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in News by 69.0% during the fourth quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,629 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares in the last quarter. 14.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

News Company Profile

News Corporation NASDAQ: NWS is a global media and information services company engaged in news and digital real estate, book publishing and other media businesses. The company's operations include print and digital newsbrands, business and financial information services, consumer platforms for property listings, and a major book publishing arm. Through its subsidiaries and brands, News Corp produces news content, market and financial reporting, online real-estate marketplaces and trade and consumer publishing products.

Key areas of activity include news and information, where the company publishes national and regional newspapers and operates business information services; book publishing through a well-known global publisher; and property-related digital businesses that operate online marketplaces for real estate listings.

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