VIAB - Viacom

[LowIQinvestor]

I bet they are buying back shares today! A great price at 13x earnings.

"As of August 5, 2014, Viacom had $7.15 billion remaining in its $20
billion stock repurchase program. "

[JoelS]

Interesting tidbit..


"Speaking to FierceCable, Suddenlink spokesperson Pete Abel dismissed any notion that his company entered negotiations with Viacom intending all along to drop its channels. But there had been research conducted to support the decision.

"We listened to the voice of our customers, as expressed through calls to our care centers, surveys, and polls," he said. "The consensus was clear: Customers did not value the Viacom channels as much as they valued other channels. They did not want to pay significantly more to keep the Viacom channels. And there were a number of other channels they would like to see added. We were guided accordingly."

[morningstar]

Viacom's in a tough spot. Starz would be a nice fit for them if the price isnt too crazy ... would help them a ton with the MVPDs and would let them gracefully escape from the nightmare of Epix...

[loganc]

Viacom's in a tough spot. Starz would be a nice fit for them if the price isnt too crazy ... would help them a ton with the MVPDs and would let them gracefully escape from the nightmare of Epix...

I don't mean to pick on you specifically, but why is Viacom in such a tough spot?  It seems that this "fact" is taken for granted at this point - perhaps helped by the recent stock price performance?. 

Clearly, the recent news about the Suddenlink negotiations is not exactly positive.  Also, the movie studio results bounce around a fair amount and create noise, but the "core" networks business seems to me to be a pretty good business.  On top of it, you get what is in all likelihood very good management and a pretty defined capital allocation plan.

I would like to hear some clear elucidation as to why this business is truly impaired. 

     

[LowIQinvestor]

"Viacom is trading at an 11.3x F2015 P/E, an 8.5x EBITDA ratio, and a 9.6 percent free cash flow yield. Viacom shares are now down 18.0 percent ytd vs. the S&P 500 up 2.1 percent."

[dwy000]

Big drop today on no news.  Back down below $70.  Very, very tempting at these prices - but I'd love to know what caused it to fall off the cliff today.

[dwy000]

Ask a dumb question.....

Discovery Networks came out with results which were disappointing...and Dish Network saw subscriber losses.  Both would suggest outlook for VIAB is negative.

[cayale]

Big drop today on no news.  Back down below $70.  Very, very tempting at these prices - but I'd love to know what caused it to fall off the cliff today.

On the DISCA call, CEO basically said the ad market was soft; less upfront buying, a lot of available inventory and perhaps a softening of spot prices.

[LowIQinvestor]

If Viacom got a similar PE multiple to Discovery or CBS, the stock would be at least $88 a share.

25% upside.

This space is due for consolidation.

Anybody have this report?: "Put CBS and Viacom Back Together, Gabelli analyst says"
http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/10/27/put-cbs-and-viacom-back-together-gabelli-analyst-says/?mod=yahoo_hs

[LowIQinvestor]

Earnings out:
http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/VIA-B/3630101506x0x794305/9f2f5ebd-657b-4e1e-be8b-28546df3a22a/Viacom_Q4_14_Earnings.pdf

VIACOM REPORTS RECORD PROFIT FOR FISCAL 2014
• Full-Year Adjusted Operating Income Rose 5% to Record $4.13 Billion and Full-Year
Adjusted Diluted EPS Increased 15% to Record $5.40
• $3.9 Billion Returned to Shareholders in Fiscal 2014 Through Share Repurchases and
Dividends
• Fourth Quarter 2014 Revenues Up 9%, Driven by Strong Affiliate Fees and
Theatrical Revenues
• Adjusted Diluted EPS Increased 10% in the Quarter to $1.71; Adjusted Net Earnings
Totaled $729 Million