As the Q4 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the media industry, including Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) and its peers.
The advent of the internet changed how shows, films, music, and overall information flow. As a result, many media companies now face secular headwinds as attention shifts online. Some have made concerted efforts to adapt by introducing digital subscriptions, podcasts, and streaming platforms. Time will tell if their strategies succeed and which companies will emerge as the long-term winners.
The 5 media stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.7%.
In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 4.7% on average since the latest earnings results.
Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL)
Creator of the legendary Scholastic Book Fair, Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) is an international company specializing in children's publishing, education, and media services.
Scholastic reported revenues of $551.1 million, up 1.2% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 1%. Overall, it was a mixed quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but full-year EBITDA guidance missing analysts’ expectations.
Scholastic delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth of the whole group. Interestingly, the stock is up 21.7% since reporting and currently trades at $35.
Is now the time to buy Scholastic? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Best Q4: Warner Music Group (NASDAQ:WMG)
Launching the careers of legendary artists like Frank Sinatra, Warner Music Group (NASDAQ:WMG) is a music company managing a diverse portfolio of artists, recordings, and music publishing services worldwide.
Warner Music Group reported revenues of $1.84 billion, up 10.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 4.1%. The business had a strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.
Warner Music Group achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 9.2% since reporting. It currently trades at $30.79.
Is now the time to buy Warner Music Group? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q4: The New York Times (NYSE:NYT)
Founded in 1851, The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) is an American media organization known for its influential newspaper and expansive digital journalism platforms.
The New York Times reported revenues of $802.3 million, up 10.4% year on year, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 1.4%. Still, it was a mixed quarter as it posted a miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
As expected, the stock is down 2.2% since the results and currently trades at $70.60.
Read our full analysis of The New York Times’s results here.
News Corp (NASDAQ:NWSA)
Established in 2013 after a restructuring, News Corp (NASDAQ:NWSA) is a multinational conglomerate known for its news publishing, broadcasting, digital media, and book publishing.
News Corp reported revenues of $2.36 billion, up 5.5% year on year. This print surpassed analysts’ expectations by 3%. It was a strong quarter as it also logged a decent beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and a decent beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
The stock is down 2.6% since reporting and currently trades at $23.58.
Read our full, actionable report on News Corp here, it’s free.
Disney (NYSE:DIS)
Founded by brothers Walt and Roy, Disney (NYSE:DIS) is a multinational entertainment conglomerate, renowned for its theme parks, movies, television networks, and merchandise.
Disney reported revenues of $25.98 billion, up 5.2% year on year. This number beat analysts’ expectations by 0.8%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.
The stock is down 2.6% since reporting and currently trades at $109.91.
Read our full, actionable report on Disney here, it’s free.
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