Update on Discovery Communications Spread Trade

A few months ago I swapped all Northlake client holdings in Discovery Communications voting shares (DISCA) into Discovery Communications non-voting shares. At the time the voting shares were trading at a $4.23 premium to the non-voting shares. Last week, the spread ballooned to almost $7 when it was announced that DISCA would enter the Russell […]

All Good at Apple. Again.

Below are my Twitter comments in chronological order as I was listening to the Apple conference call. I find these initial reaction comments, which for most companies are handwritten notes, are usually my best analysis. Gut reaction plus objective analysis is reliable. Or to put it another way, I like to keep it simple and […]

Google Misses. Sort of.

Even before the Goldman Sachs related market meltdown, Google shares were down 5% following the company’s 1Q10 earnings report after the close on Thursday. Most all of the many headline numbers regularly provided by Google met or slightly exceeded expectations. However, the upside was minor and there were a few blemishes. The upside was mainly […]

3-D films hit some speed bumps. Is conventional wisdom off target?

This article originally appeared on SNL Kagan on April 6, 2010. The two most recent 3-D releases have not lived up expectations set by Avatar and Alice in Wonderland. Theater owners probably don’t care but should studio owners? The North American box office continues to chug along, up over 10.9% according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. Most of […]

Swapping Discovery Share Classes

On March 1st, all Northlake client positions in Discovery Communications voting shares (DISCA) were swapped to Discovery Communications non-voting shares (DISCK) on a dollar for dollar basis. DISCA shares were added to the S&P 500 as of the close of trading on February 26th. The non-voting DISCK shares are not being added to the S&P. […]

Virgin Media: Corner Turned, Upside Ahead

Virgin Media reported its best quarter in several years. Mid to upper single digit revenue and EBITDA growth comfortably exceeded estimates and translated to a big beat in free cash flow. Subscriber additions were also good across the board with positive surprises for high speed internet and wireless and wireline telephone. TV subscribers were in […]

Advertising Recovery Accelerating at CBS

CBS reported solid results with EPS, revenue, and EBITDA closely matching street estimates. The report did not provide the big positive surprise seen by News Corporation, with which it has a lot of overlap. This fact, plus some variances to estimates at the segment level, left investors wanting more. There was also some concern that […]

DirecTV: Solid Results and Guidance Reduces Worries on US Competition

DirecTV (DTV) reported solid 4Q09 financial results and mixed subscriber metrics. The company also announced a $3.5 billion share repurchases which exceeded the high end of estimates calling for $2-3 billion. Ahead of the conference call, on which, the company should provide some 2010 guidance commentary, the news is on balance positive and justifies the […]

Searching for Profits in Google

Earlier this week, I purchased a position in Google (GOOG) for all Northlake clients who use individual stocks as part of their portfolio strategy. GOOG pulled back from $630 in early January to $545 with the bulk of the drop occuring following the company’s 4Q09 earnings report. A general correction in tech stocks and the […]

Another Good Quarter Validates Apple Bull Case Despite Confusion

Apple reported another good quarter (revenue +32%, EPS +44%) although investor reaction was unusually muted as the company unexpectedly switched its revenue recognition policy for iPhones. Apple has been reporting “adjusted” results based on the new accounting for several quarters and most investors new a switch was in the pipeline. However the company gave no […]