Regal Entertainment Has A Great First Quarter

Regal Entertainment (RGC) shares rose 4% following better than expected 1Q07 earnings. RGC was able to convert the strong 1Q box office into better margins and EBITDA which bodes very well for the next two quarters when the box office should be record breaking. The shares have now regained more than the $2 special dividend […]

Excellent Results From NII Holdings – $100 Stock Price Within Reach

NII Holdings (NIHD) 1Q07 numbers were virtually on top of my estimates across the board. Every financial and subscriber number on a corporate and country-by-country basis was right on target. Since my expectations were at the high end of the street estimates, this sets the stage for upside to current estimates later in the year. […]

The Bloom Comes Off the Scripps Rose

E.W. Scripps (SSP) reported in line 1Q07 earnings but guidance for 2Q and implied guidance for 2007 is well below street estimates. In my preview I suggested that estimates could come down and that the stock would be attractive in the $30s. It looks like we might get a chance to buy at that level. […]

Regal Entertainment and NII Holdings 1Q07 Earnings Previews

Regal Entertainment (RGC) and NII Holdings (NIHD) report before the open on Thursday. I’ll be visiting with clients out of town most of Wednesday and Thursday so I won’t be able to get any comments on the results until Friday. The following brief previews should help you put the numbers in perspective….

San Jose Mercury News Clears Jobs of Criminal Activity in Options Probe

In a lengthy article, the San Jose Mercury News is reporting that it is unlikely that Steve Jobs will be charged with a criminal offense in the Apple (AAPL) options backdating scandal. The article leaves open the possibility of SEC action but SEC action would not require Jobs to leave the company. The article contains […]

Gannett: Still Cheap But Still To Be Avoided

Special thanks to my intern, Megan Brinkman, a soon-to-be graduate of Northwestern’s MBA program, who did most of the work on GCI this quarter due to a conflict I had with the conference call. The following summary was written by Megan and edited by me. Consistent with what we are seeing across the newspaper industry, […]

New York Times: Still No Upturn in Sight

New York Times (NYT) reported mixed 1Q07 earnings. Results were basically in line with analysts estimates and recent management commentary but there were no signs that print advertising was stabilizing. Additionally, management lowered its forecasted growth rate for internet advertising in 2007 from 30% to something less than that without specifying a figure. Put this […]

Motorola 1Q07 Earnings Offer Little Hope For A Near-Term Turnaround

The message from the 1Q07 results from Motorola (MOT) could be that the worst is over. However, you can also draw the conclusion that earnings power in 2008 remains uncertain. Put these together and the shares should not react too much to the latest news. EPS of 2 cents matched consensus and were at the […]

Private Equity Comes To Canada – Officially

It is now official that private equity has arrived in Canada. BCE Inc. (BCE), formerly Bell Canada, has announced that is negotiations with a group of Canadian pension funds being backed by Kohlberg, Kravis, and Roberts. KKR was the in the original stories about a possible private equity-financed takeover of BCE but the stories which […]

Dow Jones 1Q07 Provides Upside Surprise

Dow Jones (DJ) kciked off the 1Q07 reporting season for media compananies with better than expected performance thanks to strong ad pricing at the Wall Street Journal in March and tight cost controls. Adjusted EPS of 24 cents beat the consensus estimate of 19 cents as revenues of $507 matched estimates. Management reiterated guidance of […]