Short Interest in Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX) Declines By 19.0%

Key Points

• Short interest fell 19% to 9.28 million shares as of Feb. 27, equal to 2.8% of shares short and a days-to-cover ratio of 5.2.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed—MarketBeat shows a consensus "Hold" with a $75 target (four Buys, two Holds, one Sell), while Bank of America trimmed its price objective to $45.
• Insiders have been heavy sellers: CEO Lachlan Murdoch sold 637,752 shares (~$37.1M) and the COO sold 216,806 shares, with insiders unloading about 1.59M shares (~$91.9M) in the past 90 days.

Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 9,280,067 shares, a decrease of 19.0% from the February 12th total of 11,450,919 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,780,890 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.2 days. Currently, 2.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Currently, 2.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,780,890 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.2 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of FOX from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research cut shares of FOX from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of FOX in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of FOX in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and issued a $45.00 price objective (down from $80.00) on shares of FOX in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $75.00.

FOX News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting FOX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major international crisis and strike coverage drives realtime audience demand — Fox is running extensive live coverage of U.S.-Iran/Israel developments and related strikes, a type of breaking-news cycle that typically lifts linear and digital viewership and short-term ad revenues. Live updates: US-Iran-Israel war
• Positive Sentiment: Domestic violent incidents and terror-related stories (synagogue shooting, other attacks) are generating heavy local and national coverage — again likely to boost audience engagement across Fox’s news platforms. Recent terror attacks rattle American communities
• Positive Sentiment: Sports and event programming continue to supply appointment viewing (WWE features, Kyler Murray signing, WBC coverage) — stable non-news content that supports diversified ad inventory and subscriber interest. Kyler Murray signs with Vikings
• Neutral Sentiment: High-profile event coverage (NASA’s Artemis II crewed launch target) can produce one-time spikes in audience but is episodic rather than recurring revenue. NASA targets April 1 launch for Artemis II
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry media miscues and rival coverage (e.g., deleted posts, reporting errors at other outlets) create short-term headlines in media circles but are unlikely to materially change Fox’s fundamentals. CNN reporter deletes post
• Neutral Sentiment: Human-interest and cultural pieces (e.g., WWE profile, athlete support stories) support audience breadth but are not major earnings drivers. WWE Bayley opens up
• Negative Sentiment: Political and government disruption — DHS closure/airport chaos and unpaid TSA officer stories — can suppress ad demand tied to travel-related categories and increase advertiser caution during uncertain periods. Airport security strain during shutdown grows
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing geopolitical risk can depress broader market sentiment and make advertisers more cautious with upfront commitments — a headwind for ad-driven media stocks if sustained. Iran targets oil tankers, fuel storage facilities
• Negative Sentiment: Technical and valuation pressures: FOX is trading below its 50- and 200-day moving averages and volume is elevated vs. average — signals that can amplify short-term downside even if ratings rise. (Company fundamentals: market cap, P/E and recent earnings beat remain supportive.)

FOX Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of FOX stock opened at $52.03 on Friday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $58.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.44. FOX has a 1-year low of $43.18 and a 1-year high of $68.18. The firm has a market cap of $22.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 7.20 and a beta of 0.59.

FOX (NASDAQ:FOX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $5.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. FOX had a net margin of 11.41% and a return on equity of 18.14%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that FOX will post 4.25 EPS for the current year.

FOX Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. FOX's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other FOX news, CEO Lachlan K. Murdoch sold 637,752 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.20, for a total value of $37,117,166.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,846.40. This represents a 99.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO John Nallen sold 216,806 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.68, for a total transaction of $12,505,370.08. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 362,206 shares in the company, valued at $20,892,042.08. This represents a 37.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,586,871 shares of company stock worth $91,893,926. Corporate insiders own 23.06% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FOX

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of FOX in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FOX during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in FOX by 336.9% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 616 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in FOX during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in FOX in the third quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.41% of the company's stock.

About FOX

Fox Corporation NASDAQ: FOX is a U.S.-based media company that operates television broadcast, news and sports businesses. The company traces its contemporary structure to the 2019 reorganization that followed the sale of certain entertainment assets to The Walt Disney Company; Fox Corporation retained a portfolio centered on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Television Stations, Fox News Media and Fox Sports. Over time the company has expanded its digital footprint through acquisitions and direct-to-consumer services, building a mix of linear and streaming distribution.

FOX's core activities include the creation, aggregation and distribution of television programming and live sports, the operation of national cable news and business networks, and the ownership and operation of local broadcast stations.

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