Time Warner: Relatively Good Earnings But Murky Outlook

Given the circumstances, Time Warner (TWX) reported decent 4Q08 results and provided better than expected guidance. However, to be perfectly honest, there are so many charges and related future cost savings that it is very difficult to tell whether guidance for “about flat” results in 2009 fairly reflects underlying operating trends. I fear that guidance […]

Time Warner 4Q08 Earnings Preview

Time Warner effectively preannounced 4Q08 results when it updated its guidance for 2008 last month. The guidance brought 2008 EBITDA to a gain of just 1% but several items were legitimately one-time so the headlines off the guidance update were more negative than management intended. Underlying growth in 2008 is probably closer to 3% which […]

The Dark Knight Can Sell DVDs

The Dark Knight debuted strongly on DVD selling 3 million units on its first day. This should be good news for Time Warner although that is mostly because it was not a disappointment. The very top DVD titles continue to sell reasonably well. It is the group just beyond the top ten and the catalog […]

Why You Should Own Time Warner

Time Warner (TWX) is one of the world’s leading entertainment companies. The company owns AOL, 84% of Time Warner Cable (TWC) , Warner Brothers, HBO and a leading stable of cable networks including TNT, TBS and CNN. Time Warner also still owns its iconic magazine titles including Time, People and Sports Illustrated. In early 2009, […]

Good Quarter Supports Time Warner Shares

Time Warner reported solid 3Q08 results given the economic environment. The stock is reacting positively against a weak market to start the day. The good news is that (1) Turner Networks continue to provide upper single digit growth, (2) Time Warner Cable is showing expected resiliency given the utility like nature of its business, and […]

New Purchase: Time Warner

Following completion of Time Warner’s 2Q08 conference call I purchased the stock widely across the Northlake client base and in my personal accounts. The purchase is based on my new, more bullish view of the company’s prospects over the next 12 months. TWX finally seems to be emerging from a prolonged period of restructuring and […]

Time Warner Finally Discarding AOL?

Time Warner shares have enjoyed an above average 9% rebound over the past two days since reports surfaced that the company appears to be more aggressively seeking a new ownership arrangement for AOL. While the NY Times threw water on the idea that a sale to Microsoft was likely, the mere fact that TWX management […]

Time Warner: So Bad It Might Be Getting Good

Time Warner (TWX) reported another mediocre quarter even after adjusting for some items that cause the reported numbers to understate the results. Revenue grew just 2% and adjusted EBITDA grew just 3%. The revenue figure matched estimates while the adjusted EBITDA is a bit ahead. EBITDA strength came from cost controls at AOL that kept […]

AOL Still Dragging Down Time Warner

Time Warner (TWX) shares are down 10.8% so far this year, lagging most other large cap media stocks. News Corp (NWS) is down 6.1%, Disney (DIS) is down just 3.7%, and Viacom (VIA) is down 5.2%. The largest single component of TWX’s valuation is Time Warner Cable (TWC), whose shares are down less than 1%. […]

News But Nothing Exciting at Time Warner

I find little to get excited about regarding Time Warner’s quarterly results, guidance, or commentary. The results were quite close to expectations pretty much across the board. The guidance contained no surprises. Commentary about business conditions and strategic actions offered little new insight. The shares are trading up 5% in a strong tape for media […]