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Comcast will spend $16.7 Billion for GE’s NBC stake – GS, JPM & MS

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Northern, WI 02/14/2013 (usmarketbuzz) – Alongside announcing a strong result for the Q4 and full year 2012, Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) the largest cable TV distributor in America also announced its plans to buy the whole of 49% stake in NBC Universal which it currently does not own. After a $16.7 billion deal in 2009 the cable company owns 51% of the NBC’s residual interest in NBC Universal; General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) which founded the business owns 49% now.

After the 2009 divestiture,General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) had $13.8 billion in cash, an amount it expended expanded to bolster its energy division.It spent about $11 billion on acquisitions in 2011. This time it will gain a pretax profit of about $1 billion will be used to finance $10 billion share repurchase per annual, said CEO Jeff Immelt in a statement. About $23 billion worth of buyback authorization is available to GE currently.

The deal includes the transfer of properties located in Manhattan and CNBC New Jersey headquarters for $1.4 billion, said Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) statement released today.

According to the annual and Q4 financial results released by the Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) todaythe cable distributor lost another 7,000 of video subscribers amid a shrinking cable TV viewer-ship. Consumer base for high-speed Internet customers and voice customers eclipsed analysts’ estimates; both expanded by 341,000 and 168,000 respectively. The companies has not booked any profits since 2007; if it were not for Hurricane Sandy profits could have come its way, said Roberts.

The company also announced a rise of 20% in 2013 dividend; these stand at 78 cents per share now. The cable operator also plans to buy back stock worth $2 billion in the current year. Wardwell and Davis Polk from Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) were the company’s advisers in the GE purchase. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) was the financial adviser to the encore while Weil, Gotshal & Manges were the legal advisers of the acquirer. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS), Center view Partners and CBRE also provided strategic advice related to the transaction.

The plans to take over the remainder of the NBC Universal business were first disclosed by Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA)’s CFO, Michael Angelakisin September.Over the past year the entertainment network has emerged from its last place in the race and has received prime ratings. At present, its market value is $39.1 billion.

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) shares were up by 2.98% to close at $40.13. General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) shares were up by 3.59% to close at $23.39. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) shares were up by 0.27% to close at $154.52. The JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) shares down by 0.94% to close at $48.68. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) share prices were unchanged at $23.63.

Business

Top 3 Gainers: Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA), Eros International (NYSE:EROS), Borqs Technologies’ (BRQS)

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Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA) is up 2.5% after Benchmark reiterated its Buy rating in a look-ahead at Q2 earnings. The firm’s expecting a beat and solid guidance for Q3, and it’s raising its guidance for the fiscal year.

Tailwinds from the pandemic won’t dissipate easily, Benchmark suggests, and the videogame maker’s acquisition of Peak (and with it new “forever franchises” in Toon Blast and Toy Blast) will drive audience, bookings, margins and free cash flow, it says. The firm has an $11 price target, now implying 14% upside.

Eros International (NYSE:EROS) is up 5.8% today, making up the last week’s lost ground, after news that its streaming service Eros Now is partnering with Sony India (SNE +2.3%).

That will mean Eros Now’s app is pre-installed on selected Sony smart televisions in India, along with availability on a large base of existing models (Bravia E series and newer).

The country over the past year has seen a 25% growth in demand for smart TVs, fueled by overall industry growth of 15%, to a record 15M units/year.

Borqs Technologies’ (BRQS) personal safety tracker sees strong market with increased orders from the electronics retail chain in the US.

The boost in product demand comes ahead coronavirus pandemic that provides company to expect delivery of 250K units this year. It reflects over 3x the volume delivered in 2019, the year of its launch.

Borqs’ mobile personal safety devices designed particularly for senior citizens come with panic button, location tracking, and fall detection.

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Biotech

Biotech movers: Pfizer Inc. (PFE), Celgene Corporation (CELG)

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Pfizer Inc. (PFE) said on Thursday it received a request for documents as part of a U.S. investigation related to quality issues involving the manufacture of auto-injectors at its Meridian Medical Technologies site.

Pfizer, in a regulatory filing, said it would be producing records in response to the civil investigative demand from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.

Why ASDN Could Massively Outperform PFE in 2019

Meridian, a unit of Pfizer that manufactures EpiPen injectors used to deliver an emergency allergy antidote, has been hit by a series of manufacturing problems in recent years. Mylan NV, which markets EpiPens, has recalled tens of thousands of the devices after complaints that some had failed to activate.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has been meeting with shareholders in Boston and New York over the last two weeks to try to salvage its $74 billion purchase of cancer drugmaker Celgene Corporation (CELG), the biggest acquisition announced so far this year.

Why Investors Are Calling ASDN the CELG of the Sky!

The deal, announced in January, was hard sell to Bristol shareholders from the start. The acquisition adds about $32 billion in fresh debt to Bristol’s balance sheet while assuming $20 billion in Celgene’s debt, the companies said at the time. After factoring in debt, the acquisition was the largest health-care deal on record, according to data compiled by Refinitiv.

Now, hedge funds Wellington Management and Starboard Value say the deal doesn’t sit well with them. Bristol has sent executives to New York to meet with institutional investors several times over the last two weeks and met with investors in Boston on Wednesday and Thursday, according to a person who briefed on the meetings.

Bristol-Myers declined to comment.

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Biotech

Big Losers: Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. (CRBP), Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras (PBR)

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Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. (CRBP)’s shares slumped as much as 16% to $6.94 on huge volume. The stock has been showing intense sell off suddenly after a bearish article on seekingalph.com by Alpha Exposure.

The article stated that Corbus has ties to investors convicted of or alleged to have committed securities fraud. We believe lenabasum has failed its major trials in SSc and CF. Lenabasum was also denied Breakthrough Therapy Designation in SSc. We believe lenabasum will fail in its pivotal SSc and Phase 2b CF trials. We are short Corbus with a price target of $0.50.

Wow the future of Autonomous flight is finally here with the launch of ASDN passenger drone Elroy

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras (PBR) is expanding its ambitious divestment program and has “bold” plans for sales, the Brazilian state-run oil company’s chief executive said after the firm posted its first annual profit in five years.

On a conference call with analysts to discuss fourth-quarter results, CEO Roberto Castello Branco said selling non-core assets will be key to deleveraging.

Petrobras, as the company is known, can reduce its ratio of net debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, to 1.5 or even to 1, he added.

The University of Chicago-educated CEO, who took the reins in early January, has long been vocal about the need to slim down the sprawling firm and focus on core activities such as exploration and production. Thursday’s comments were some of his most assertive on the matter.

Why Investors Are Calling ASDN the TPC of the Sky!

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