New York Times: Still Struggling

New York Times (NYT) reported adjusted EPS of 46 cents in line with guidance. Most key financial measures closely matched analyst estimates including revenues, costs, and margins. As with Gannett (GCI) and Tribune (TRB), advertising and circulation trends were weak and there is no sign of an upturn. NYT and its peers continue to effectively […]

Another Dull Quarter From Gannett

2Q06 earnings and commentary from Gannett (GCI) can best be described as more of the same. Neither the numbers nor the Q&A provided significant new insights. GCI remains stuck in a no-growth environment with no prospects for a pickup. The only bull case is that the stock is getting cheap on a historical basis and […]

Some Thoughts Ahead of Apple’s Earnings

I wrote the following before my Barron’s showed up on Saturday with a bullish cover story on Apple Computer (AAPL). Barron’s has previously written negatively on AAPL so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that AAPL shares have firmed up this week. The story is consistent with what I have been writing about AAPL. I’ll […]

Disney Pulls Back But Its Not Due To Pirates

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (POTC) continues to rule the box office. Nevertheless, Disney (DIS) shares have sold off since the movie was released. I wouldn’t chalk that up to any disappointment over the film, however. In the early part of last week, before catching a downgrade on Thursday, DIS shares actually outperformed […]

Motorola Earnings Preview

Motorola (MOT) reports after the close on Wednesday, July 19th. Despite weak stock price performance and negative datapoints from the supply chain, analysts expect MOT to post a good 2Q. In fact, recent analyst commentary has had an improving tone as it relates to the quarter. This is probably because other handset vendors have reported […]

Analyzing Disney’s Pirates Treasure Chest

The daily box office results for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (POTC) continue to be astounding. After its record breaking opening weekend, POTC easily set mid-week daily records, and now has the 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10-day records. The film appears headed toward $400 million domestic and over $900 million worldwide, ahead […]

Taking A Look At Regal’s Ownership of National Cinemedia

Regal Entertainment (RGC) was one of the only green stocks on my monitor yesterday and has held up extremely well against the losuy market envrionment over the past few months. Yesterday,the stock benefited from an upgrade by Bear Stearns, even if the upgrade was only from sell to neutral. Previously, a firming box office and […]

One More Stab At AOL – Time Warner Heading Lower

Time Warner (TWX) shares fell for the 7th straight day yesterday, no doubt continuing the negative reaction since word spread that AOL might switch strategies again. The stock has dropped 5.1% in total, erasing about $3 billion in market value. As I noted in a post last week, the shift away from a subscription model […]

Disney’s Pirates Brings Big Profits

Consumers and investors tend to focus on box office and forget profits when looking at domestic box office numbers. Several analyst reports out today are looking at the profitsfor Pirates and the news is good for Disney (DIS). Analysts must have been playing it safe because several bumped their estimates by a nickel or more […]

A Look at Records Set By Pirates of the Caribbean

The numbers for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (POTC) are truly enormous even in an era when studios, theatres, and moviegoers have become used to huge opening weekends. Over at The Hot Blog, David Poland has referred to these big opening weekends and lesser legs as “front loading.” All the comparisons below are […]