After the next few quarters, investors will have a better sense of how things are playing out and whether the stock is one to hold onto. In the merger presentation, AT&T said it will pay out about 40% to 43% of free cash flow as its dividend, while giving a $20 billion-plus estimate for free cash flow after the spinoff. Based on 14 ratings, nine analysts had WBD stock as a moderate buy, five rated it as a hold, and only one appraiser had the company as a sell. The consensus 12-month price target of the five analysts rating the stock is $37.25. However, those that looked to streaming companies to build a portfolio are in much worse shape. The merger with Discovery has the above-stated benefits for AT&T, including significantly reduced debt. Poorer than expected performance of late from WarnerMedia was also highlighted. These offers do not represent all available deposit, investment, loan or credit products. Were it not for the effects of foreign exchange, International would have recorded a 30% increase. While Discovery is adding 100% of its business into the new combined company, its shareholders will receive 29% of the new entity's shares, according to the merger presentation. Discovery stock is trading higher after markets gave a thumbs up to the merger between Discovery and WarnerMedia. The new management is trying hard to turn around the ship. WBD currently trades for $18.88 a share. Readers should consider this when weighing my buy/hold/sell recommendations. Making the world smarter, happier, and richer. AT&Ts WarnerMedia unit and Discovery Inc said on Friday that the two firms have completed the merger. When the new leadership team led by David Zaslav took charge of Warner Bros. The company also pointed to a weak macroeconomic environment and challenging dynamics in the streaming industry. I also have concerns regarding the toll cord cutting may take on the companys future results. Founded in 1993 by brothers Tom and David Gardner, The Motley Fool helps millions of people attain financial freedom through our website, podcasts, books, newspaper column, radio show, and premium investing services. Discovery posted fourth-quarter 2022 earnings on Feb. 23, with revenue of $11.01 billion decreasing The partnership has never fully gelled, though, and by 2021, they were already looking to get out, and Discovery was the suitor they landed on. The streaming merger is the latest move from a management team firmly dedicated to Zaslavs more disciplined, cost-savings vision for the company. Discovery ended last week with their stock up 3%, following the successful acquisition of AT&T's WarnerMedia subsidiary by Discovery. That will simplify things a whole lot, both for the companies and their investors. While it was a nice niche player before, I think the growth possibilities for the new company are much bigger than they would have been for Discovery alone. ET. That Discovery reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $2.08 billion, or 86 cents a share, after a profit of $38 million, or 8 cents a share, in the same quarter in 2021. WBD projects $20 billion in content spend in 2022. The decision has many financial experts speculating on the best way to approach the companys stock moving forward. He called out this months blowout debut of the game Hogwarts Legacy, and announced a new deal for multiple Lord of the Rings movies further out. At least give management a few quarters to execute their strategies. It's a busy time for Warner, who besides the Discovery merger are also reportedly in the market for a buyer for The CW, a network they co-own with Paramount, the parent company of CBS (and ComicBook.com). Discovery stock after the merger has been unpleasant, management can still make Discovery had done a nice job of consolidating the unscripted content portion of the media universe, but it was still a relative niche player in a world with emerging mega-bundles. The final green light for the megadeal came at a special shareholder meeting held online; shareholders of AT&T, led by CEO John Stankey, do not need to vote on the combination. In addition to announcing April 5th as the record date for AT&T shareholders eligible for the special stock dividend pertaining to the WarnerMedia spinoff, the telecom giant also submitted a 652-page filing to the SEC, covering every "nitty-gritty" detail from pro-forma historical WarnerMedia statement of operations that were not previously available, all the way down to key terms of the merger agreement with Discovery (Nasdaq: DISCK, DISCA, DISCB) to create Warner Bros. The companies are forecasting a free cash flow conversion ratio of 60 percent, which looks very healthy. To ensure this doesnt happen in the future, please enable Javascript and cookies in your browser. Discovery, they discovered that the previous management had been overly optimistic with their projection of Warner Bros. prospects. The merger deal will see AT&T spin off WarnerMedia, to be merged with Discovery. Discovery. The management team has plenty of experience executing mergers. Only about a quarter of the analysts rated the stock as a buy. There is meaningful churn on HBO Max, much higher than the churn that we have seen. Revenue from U.S. AT&T shareholders are set to receive an estimated 0.24 share in the new company for each AT&T share held. The stock could be a long-term winner based on its the strong growth potential in the streaming industry. Prior to WBDs quarterly report announcement, Barrons reported that analysts at Goldman Sachs reinstated a buy rating and price target of $22 on Warner Bros. Discovery's outlook for the year. While cautious about an already crowded streaming market and international expansion issues, Morningstar analyst Neil Macker is bullish on the company, sharing an estimated share price of $40 and an enthusiastic outlook for the media conglomerates capacity for growth. Many of the offers appearing on this site are from advertisers from which this website receives compensation for being listed here. Upon completion of the merger, each Spinco common stock issued under transaction step #4 and distributed to existing AT&T shareholders as of record date under transaction step #5 will automatically convert into 0.24 shares of WBD common stock. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. AT&T) wishing to divest a subsidiary (i.e. Discovery CEO David Zaslav The estimated transaction value takes into consideration the closing price of $25.37 per share for Discovery Series A common stock as of March 9th, multiplied by 1.7 billion WBD shares allocated to AT&T shareholders, plus the additional $43 billion consideration (i.e. Stock Market Holidays 2023: Is the Stock Market Open Today? AT&T stockholders will end up owning 71 percent of the new Warner Bros. Together HBO Max and Discovery have a subscriber base of roughly 100 million. Discovery. Step 4 Issuance of Spinco Common Stock - Prior to AT&T's distribution of rights to shares of WBD common stock to existing AT&T shareholders as of record date, the Magallanes, Inc. Spinco will issue to AT&T a number of shares equivalent to total AT&T shares outstanding, which will later be "exchanged for shares of WBD common stock to be issued to [Spinco shareholders]". Hogwarts Legacy launched on Feb. 10. Discovery in a merge that equates to a $43 billion transaction. With the steady hand of Zaslav now in command of more world-class media assets he can now deploy internationally, Discovery has gone from a small unscripted player to a scaled global behemoth across scripted, unscripted, and news content. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Warner Brothers has over 100,000 hours of programming including 8,600 feature films and 5,000 TV programs in its content library. Discovery's Stock, 2 Growth Stocks That Can Turn $250,000 Into $1 Million by 2030, Billionaire Investor Bill Ackman Is Raking In $97 Million In Annual Dividend Income From These 2 Stocks, 1 Bargain-Basement Warren Buffett Stock Down 78% to Buy Before It Starts Soaring, 3 No-Brainer Stocks to Buy With $50 Right Now, Join Over Half a Million Premium Members And Get More In-Depth Stock Guidance and Research, Motley Fool Issues Rare All In Buy Alert, Copyright, Trademark and Patent Information. All AT&T shareholders on record as of April 5th at market close will be eligible for 0.24 WBD shares for each share of AT&T share owned. Under the terms of the deal, WarnerMedia retained $43 billion in debt. If content is king, an argument can be made that WBD takes the crown. In 2000, internet service provider America Online bought Time-Warner, Inc. to form AOL Time Warner, but when the dot-com bubble burst, that partnership dissolved quickly. Erik Khalitov/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images. AT&T Regular Way Trading - AT&T shareholders can engage in "Regular Way Trading" during the two-way trading period if they wish to sell "both the share of AT&T common stock and the right to receive shares of WBD common stock in the transaction". 111). Discovery to report a loss of 35 cents a share, on revenue of $11.2 billion. AT&T and Discovery on Monday announced that they will merge their media assets in a megadeal that creates a stronger rival to Walt Disney and Netflix amid global My sister has always struggled with money and drugs. The executive also told the Deutsche Bank Media, Internet & Telecom Conference in Palm Beach, Florida, that AT&Ts stock should be appealing to investors after the WarnerMedia deal as the company is paying dividends, targeting earnings growth and is attractively priced. Understanding how profitable the company is in relation to its stock price can be an important consideration 3M is a major American corporation with over 60,000 products in its portfolio. Copyright 2023 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. Warner bros bring sold to Discovery? All Rights Reserved. The merger between HBO Max and Discovery+ is due to roll out in the summer of 2023, per Yahoo Finance, with international launches set to follow in 2024, said CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels at the earnings call. Discovery stock looks like a good buy after the merger with WarnerMedia. Latest Technology & Communications News and Updates. However, the media merger has thus far been a When Discovery and AT&T announced their intent to merge Discovery and WarnerMedia, it made a lot of sense. WBD, Telecom giant AT&T chose to spin off, rather than split off, WarnerMedia in a key step of the entertainment units merger with Discovery to avoid having to really discount the merged Warner Bros. Discoverys stock, AT&T CFO Pascal Desroches told investors Monday. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Ahead of the fourth-quarter earnings, some analysts said the results would present an opportunity for management to reframe the companys path forward. Considering the latest disclosure of WBD transaction details (e.g. Warner Bros. Discoverys revenue fell short of expectations in Q4 as the company lost more than $2 billion on linear, streaming, & studio. However, I admit I have reservations regarding the companys debt load and financial prowess. Warner Bros. Consequently, there could be significant overseas subscribers added. Stock Market Sell-Off: Is Warner Bros. A merger rarely goes without hiccups, so while the dip in Warner Bros. Following the merger early last month, WBD ranks as the number-three player in the U.S. video streaming business behind Netflix and Disney. Of course, the numbers behind the earnings report pertain to the former Discovery, Inc; however, management provided some important metrics related to WarnerMedia, as well as some relevant commentary. Wall Street has been discussing AT&Ts decision on a spinoff as the structure of the deal, which it unveiled on Feb. 1. Overall, the company revised adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to between $9 billion and $9.5 billion for 2022, down from the $10 billion forecast before the merger. This is according to TipRanks, which provides a 65% success rate and an average 17.6% annual return for my articles. After a financial scandal tarnished the Kinney brand, they became Warner Communications in 1972. After all, the spinoff is tantamount to an admission of error on the hugely expensive 2018 acquisition of Time Warner, which was the signature move of prior management. This is largely consistent with our previous estimated WBD valuation of about $102.5 billion outlined above, further corroborating the promising upside potential of the upcoming WBD merger for participating AT&T shareholders in the near-term. 16 Million Approved for Biden Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Will Supreme Court Uphold? Discovery has over 15 million paying streaming subscribers globally, while HBO and HBO Max reportedly have 64 million subscribers globally. Here are the key levels for -0.30% The company posted a 5% growth in U.S. advertising and an 11% increase in distribution revenue due to Discovery+. The streaming media and telecom worlds were shaken Monday, when AT&T (T -0.63%) announced it would be spinning off its WarnerMedia division and combining it with Discovery (DISCA) (DISCK). AT&T is also still behind competitors in 5G deployment, and is up against stiff competition in the fiber broadband space. The new company, of which Discovery shareholders will own about 29%, should become more of a force in global streaming. AT&T announced last week that April 5th at market close will be the record date for AT&T shareholders eligible for the special stock dividend pertaining to the upcoming WBD transaction. The potential synergies and economies of scale looked to position the combined company well to compete in the media and entertainment industry. There is no doubt that WBD will possess a formidable content portfolio. I am a graduate of the U.S Army Ranger school and a former member of the 1st Ranger Battalion and The Old Guard (U.S Army Honor Guard.) Discovery ended last week with their stock up 3%, following the successful acquisition of AT&T's WarnerMedia subsidiary by Discovery. When you buy stock, you're essentially buying a tiny piece of the company it represents. Last week, AT&T confirmed April 5th at market close as the record date for the stock dividend related to the WarnerMedia spinoff. David Nadelle is a freelance editor and writer based in Ottawa, Canada. Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels, during Warner Bros. Discoverys And as I'm looking under the hood here again, CNN+ is just one example, and I don't want to go through sort of a list of specific examples, but there's a lot of chunky investments that are lacking what I would view as a solid analytical, financial foundation and meeting the ROI hurdles that I would like to see for major investments. Since its creation (from the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia) earlier this year, the stock has gone nowhere but down. The streaming space is crowded, and Warner Bros. Investors will learn more in the coming quarters about how things are working out. Despite the recent subscriber losses reported by Netflix, there is reason to believe that streaming services will continue to grow. Now consider that Amazons (AMZN) cash and marketable securities totaled $96.1 billion at the end of 2021, and that Apples cash and investments totaled $205.6 billion at the end of 1Q22. Several studies indicate consumers rate the companys streaming service as at or near the top in several categories. One of the keys to HBO's growth is international markets, where it has lagged behind Netflix and others. Erik Khalitov/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images. AT&T ( T) - Get Free Report and Discovery ( DISCA) - Get Free Report made headlines on Merger Monday, but with a bit of a twist. At the end of 2021, the pro forma debt for WBD was over $56 billion. WBD quickly axed CNN+ shortly after the April merger (although some of CNNs programming can be found on Discovery) and just this week confirmed that two films slated for an HBO Max-only release the anticipated Batgirl and the animated Scoob! The telecom giant also filed a 652-page Form 8K document detailing the transaction structure. Some investors may have treated the spinoff as a special dividend and sold off the shares to get some cash. 2023 GOBankingRates. I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of AMZN AAPL either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. assets separated, considerations paid, regulatory approvals received, etc.) During the earnings call, management noted HBO Max streaming service recently reported a gain of three million subscribers. The company reported nearly $450 million in next generation revenue, a 55% increase over the prior-year quarter. Now that the close of the WarnerMedia deal is approaching, we are near the starting line of a new era for AT&T, said Stankey on Friday. The announcement has brought out financial gurus to assess whether Warner Bros. The combination of issued Spinco Debt Securities and cash proceeds from Spinco Financing Agreements provided to AT&T as part of transaction step #2 must total $43 billion, which represents the total consideration paid by Spinco to AT&T in exchange for its equity interests in the assets and liabilities of WarnerMedia (i.e. Price as of February 28, 2023, 4:00 p.m. Discovery stock was up 5% in midday trading on the stock market today, near 32.50. ), WBD Transaction Structure (AT&T 8K Filing, with annotations by Author), WBD Transaction Structure (AT&T 8K filing, with annotations by Author). Asked about the risk of future dividend cuts, Desroches said that the dividend is not only safe, but its size gives the company financial flexibility. This array of content serves to attract and retain subscribers. Its an app that people can use just like a regular wallet to store their card details and information. After all, there has been a more chaotic revolving door over in the HBO C-suite since the merger with AT&T, with lots of turnover and restructuring. Members of High Dividend Opportunities get exclusive ideas and guidance to navigate any climate. We expect that Zaslav will use his experience to help Warner Bros. These offers do not represent all deposit accounts available. My primary focus is on dividend bearing stocks. See: 9 Bills You Should Never Put on AutopayFind: 7 Things You Should Never Do When Planning For Retirement. It has been awful time for investors in media company Warner Bros. The same group is repeating its act again, albeit on a bigger deal. And given that Q1 performance and previously unplanned projects in sight, I currently estimate the WarnerMedia part of our profit baseline for 2022 will be around $500 million lower than what I had anticipated. Since I require a discount in the share valuations of my investments, my ratings are generally very conservative. After last years messy mega-merger, executives at Warner Bros. Youre reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fools Premium Investing Services. 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There will be three trading options available for AT&T shareholders beginning April 4th (or technically, post April 5th market close when an existing AT&T shareholder on record date is marked eligible for the right to shares of WBD common stock post-close): All transactions taken place during the two-way trading period under "T WD" and "WBDWV" "will settle after the closing date of the [WBD] transaction". Get stock recommendations, portfolio guidance, and more from The Motley Fool's premium services. They added that advertising trends in January appeared to have improved from December. Ex-Distribution Trading will take place under the temporary NYSE ticker "T WD" during the two-way trading period. This increased its subscriber numbers to 76.8 million. Maximize your income with the worlds highest-quality dividend investments. AT&T stockholders will end up owning 71 percent of the new Warner Bros. Readers should consider their own unique investment profile and consider seeking advice from an investment professional before making an investment decision. I seek a degree of safety in my investments by. Make this your go-to guide to understanding stock charts. Bolstered by strong international results, WBD increased total revenue by 13% to $3.16 billion. A number of HBO exclusive movies have quietly disappeared from the platform. On the closing date of the transaction, anticipated to be in April, AT&T shareholders will receive, on a tax-free basis, an estimated 0.24 shares of stock in On the valuation front for WBD post-close, we had previously projected an IPO price of about $23 based on the AT&T-to-WBD share conversion structure that AT&T had disclosed in February.
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