News (NWSA) Expected to Announce Earnings on Thursday

Key Points

• News (NASDAQ: NWSA) will report earnings after the close on Thursday, May 7; analysts expect $0.16 EPS and $2.1127 billion in revenue, versus the prior quarter's $0.40 EPS and $2.36 billion which beat estimates.
• The stock opened at $26.24 with a market cap of $14.57 billion and a P/E of 12.93, the company recently paid a $0.10 dividend (reported yield 83.0% and payout ratio 9.85%), and analysts hold a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target of $37.02.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA - Get Free Report) is projected to post its results after the market closes on Thursday, May 7th. Analysts expect News to post earnings of $0.16 per share and revenue of $2.1127 billion for the quarter.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.36 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect News to post $1 EPS for the current fiscal year and $1 EPS for the next fiscal year.

News Stock Performance

NASDAQ NWSA opened at $26.24 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $14.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.93 and a beta of 0.91. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $24.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.40. News has a twelve month low of $22.20 and a twelve month high of $31.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

News Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th were paid a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a yield of 83.0%. News's payout ratio is presently 9.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On News

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of News during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in shares of News during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of News during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of News by 154.5% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,285 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of News by 561.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,732 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,470 shares in the last quarter. 66.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of News from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of News from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of News from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $32.40 price target on shares of News in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of News from $40.00 to $39.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, News currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $37.02.

About News

News Corporation NASDAQ: NWSA is a global diversified media and information services company headquartered in New York City. It operates through two principal segments: News and Information Services, and Digital Real Estate Services. The company's news and information division oversees a portfolio of leading newspapers, magazines and digital platforms, offering content across print and online channels. Its properties include Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal and Barron's, News UK titles such as The Times and The Sun, as well as News Corp Australia mastheads.

In addition to its journalism assets, News Corp is a significant player in book publishing through HarperCollins, one of the world's largest consumer publishers.

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