Top 10 Media Companies To Buy Right Now

Does any single industry sector tend to produce more opportunity ��and sheer anxiety -- for investors than the technology space?

No less of a stock-market authority than Berkshire Hathaway�� (NYSE:BRK.A) Warren Buffett, who has historically avoided the volatility of tech stocks, has found at least one to love: IBM. As of last September, Buffett had spent about $10 billion to accumulate a 5.4% stake in the IT consulting and services company. Unlike many newbie tech concerns, IBM has produced reliable earnings with profit margins and return on equity steadily increasing during the last five years. Buffett started acquiring the shares at about $159; he typically holds investments for at least 10 years.

But what about you and your investment goals?

The siren song of technology can be hard for a lot of us to resist. After all, this is the group featuring such juggernauts as Netflix (Nasdaq:NFLX), growth stories as Facebook (NYSE:FB) and highflyers like Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL). Throw Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) into the mix and the potential for volatile results immediately increases.

Top Paper Stocks To Invest In 2015: Liberty Global Inc.(LBTYA)

Liberty Global, Inc. provides video, broadband Internet, and telephony services primarily in Europe and Chile. The company offers broadband services over cable distribution systems, including video, broadband Internet, and telephony; and video services through direct-to-home satellite, or through multichannel multipoint distribution systems. Its analog video services comprise basic and expanded basic programming; and digital cable services include basic and premium programming, digital video recorders, and high definition programming, as well as pay-per-view programming, such as video-on-demand and near video-on-demand. In addition, the company offers voice-over-Internet-protocol and circuit-switched telephony services, as well as mobile telephony services using third-party networks. Further, it owns programming networks that provide video programming channels to multi-channel distribution systems owned by the company and the third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the com pany owned and operated networks that passed 33,262,100 homes; and served 18,405,500 video subscribers, 8,159,300 broadband Internet subscribers, and 6,225,300 telephony subscribers. Liberty Global, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Breaking news

  Loews (NYSE: L) reported a 59% rise in its third-quarter earnings. Loews posted a quarterly profit of $282 million, or $0.73 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $177 million, or $0.45 per share. To read the full news, click here. BankUnited (NYSE: BKU) announced today the commencement of an underwritten offering of 9,000,000 shares of its common stock by certain of its existing stockholders, subject to market and other conditions. To read the full news, click here. Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA) announced today an agreement to sell substantially all of its international content division Chellomedia to AMC Networks (NASDAQ: AMCX).To read the full news, click here. Myriad Genetics (NASDAQ: MYGN) today announced that validation data for the Myriad myPlan Lung Cancer test showed that it significantly predicted patients' risk of death from early-stage lung adenocarcinoma within five years of being diagnosed. To read the full news, click here.

  Posted-In: Bank of America US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

• [By Sam Robson]

  LONDON -- In the latest edition of this long-running story, it has been suggested that�Vodafone� (LSE: VOD  ) (NASDAQ: VOD  ) could use a substantial amount of the money it would receive from selling its stake in Verizon Wireless to fund a takeover of�Liberty Global� (NASDAQ: LBTYA  ) .

• [By Vera Yuan]

  In other portfolio activity we added to Liberty Global (LBTYA) after a helpful meeting with management, topped up our Valeant (VRX) position when the stock weakened during the summer, and modestly trimmed Iconix (ICON) shares with the stock in the $40��. We also sold Target (TGT) at a healthy gain as new management works through several operational challenges against a tough competitive backdrop. On balance we were net buyers, with residual cash declining from 28% to 24% of net assets at quarter end.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Besides Yahoo, Loeb�� top holdings are AIG (AIG), Liberty Global Group Inc. (LBTYA) and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO), up 42%, 19% and 17%, respectively, from his average purchase price.

Top 10 Media Companies To Buy Right Now: News Corporation(NWSA)

News Corporation operates as a diversified media company worldwide. Its Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment, and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators primarily in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in entertainment media, as well as produces and licenses television programming worldwide. Its Television segment operates 27 broadcast television stations in the United States. The company?s Direct Broadcast Satellite Television segment distributes programming services via satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. Its Publishing segment provides newspapers and information services, such as publishing national newspapers in the United Kingdom, approximately 146 newspapers in Australia, and a metropolitan and a national newspaper in the United States; book publishing services, including the publishing of English language books worldwide; and integrated marketing services comprising the publishing of free-standing inserts, which are marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates, and other consumer offers, as well as provides in-store marketing products and services, primarily to consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company also sells advertising, sponsorships, and subscription services on the company?s various digital media properties and outdoor advertising space on various media primarily in Russia and eastern Europe; and provides data systems and professional services that enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver individualized instructions. News Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Pato Kehoe]

  Quality video content has continuously increased in value over the past years, and this firm has a made a point of following the money trail by producing and broadcasting an ample amount of high quality products. From award winning shows like ��odern Family��or ��he Simpsons,��to its popular sports programming, Twenty-First Century Fox has constantly satisfied the market's thirst for entertainment. The News Corp (NWSA) spin-off, for one, was a highly beneficial strategy for this company, setting it apart as a pure-play entertainment firm. By concentrating resources and management on the cable network business and shaking off Rupert Murdoch�� print segment, the firm was able to boost its EBITDA growth as well as its return on capital (ROC). The current metrics of 28.80% and 154% respectively are quite impressive and will be highly beneficial for investors if they can be sustained.

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  News Corp. is a media and information services company that was recently spun off of its very profitable entertainment segment. A popular hedge fund has recently acquired a significant portion of the company’s voting stock. The stock has been moving higher after its recent spinoff. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been rising, which has pleased investors in the company. Relative to its peers and sector, News Corp. has been a weak year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what News Corp. does this coming quarter.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  News Corp(NWSA) swung to a profit for the fiscal quarter, as cost-cutting helped offset lower revenue. Revenue missed expectations, sending the publishing company’s shares down 2.4% to $17 premarket.

Top 10 Media Companies To Buy Right Now: Thomson Reuters Corp(TRI)

Thomson Reuters Corporation provides intelligent information for businesses and professionals worldwide. The company allows market participants to connect, access content, and trade in a secure environment through Thomson Reuters Eikon desktop, Thomson Reuters Elektron network, content integration and management technology, content feeds and databases, and transactions infrastructure solutions that support buy- and sell-side customers to trade in foreign exchange, fixed income and derivatives, equities, exchange-traded instruments, and commodities and energy markets. It also offers information, analytics, workflow, and technology solutions to buy-side and off-trading floor customers; access to liquidity in over-the-counter markets, trade execution, and connections for market participants and financial professionals? communities; and a suite of solutions offering informed outcomes to regulated industries and law firms. In addition, the company provides critical information , decision support tools, and software and services to legal, investigation, business, and government professionals; integrated tax compliance and accounting software and services for accounting and law firms, corporations, and government professionals; intellectual property and scientific resources that enable its customers to discover, develop, and deliver innovations; and data analytics, and performance benchmarking solutions and services to healthcare sector. Further, it offers coverage of global, regional, and national news in 20 languages covering politics, business, finance, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, health, science, and sports; and engages in advertising-supported direct-to-consumer publishing activities of Reuters.com and its network of Websites, mobile applications, and electronic out-of-home displays. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Thomson Reuters (TRI)

  On Feb. 11, Thomson Reuters declared a dividend of $0.330 per share, representing 3.80% dividend yield for the company. This dividend is payable on March 17 to shareholders of the record at the close of business on Feb. 24, 2014.

• [By Rich Smith]

  This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature an upgrade for Thomson Reuters Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) , a new buy rating for Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX  ) -- but for Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) , a downgrade. Let's get that bad news out of the way first.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) has acquired Canadian trademark search, monitoring, and screening firm Onscope, Thomson announced Tuesday.

Top 10 Media Companies To Buy Right Now: DISH Network Corporation(DISH)

DISH Network Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides direct broadcast satellite (DBS) subscription television services in the United States. It offers programming that includes approximately 280 basic video channels, 60 Sirius satellite radio music channels, 30 premium movie channels, 35 regional and specialty sports channels, 2,800 local channels, 250 Latino and international channels, and 55 channels of pay-per-view content. The company also offers local HD channels in approximately 160 markets and 215 national HD channels; and receiver systems, including a small satellite dish, digital set-top receivers, and remote controls. In addition, it provides DISHOnline.com, which enables DISH Network subscribers to watch 150,000 movies, television shows, clips, and trailers; DISH Remote Access that enables subscribers to remotely manage their DVRs using compatible mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops through their broadband-connected receiver; and Go ogle TV that enables DISH Network subscribers to search the Internet, check email, interact with social media, and find additional online programming content while simultaneously watching television. As of March 31, 2011, the company had approximately 14.191 million customers. DISH Network provides receiver systems and programming through direct sales channels; and independent third parties, such as small satellite retailers, direct marketing groups, local and regional consumer electronics stores, nationwide retailers, and telecommunications companies. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Andrew Burton/Getty Images Most of us couldn't imagine life without our cable or satellite TV, high-speed Internet access and wireless communications. They've become basic utilities, and we pay handsomely for them. Yet, we aren't very satisfied with the service we get. According to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index, customer satisfaction with subscription TV (cable, satellite and fiber optic service) and Internet service providers continues to decline. Satisfaction with pay TV fell 4.4 percent, to an ACSI score of 65 (on a 100-point scale), while ISPs -- which include many of the same companies -- dropped 3.1 percent to 63. These are the lowest scores of all 43 industries tracked by ACSI. "Customers question the value proposition of both, as consumers pay for more than they need in terms of subscription TV, and get less than they want in terms of Internet speeds and reliability," said Claes Fornell, ACSI chairman and founder. The survey finds that customers are much more dissatisfied with cable TV than with fiber-optic and satellite service. Dish Network (DISH) at 67, the lowest-scoring satellite TV company, still rates higher than the best cable company, Cox Communications, with 63. Comcast (CMCSA) (parent company of CNBC) at 60 and Time Warner Cable (TWC) with 56 have the most dissatisfied customers. ACSI Managing Director David VanAmburg noted that for the last decade or so, the price of these communications services has been rising much faster than inflation. Some households, especially people living in an apartment, now pay more for TV and Internet service each month than they do for gas and electric. Another complaint: When there is a service issue, the customer service experience isn't very good. "These are not companies that do a very good job of providing good call center customer care or good face-to-face customer care," VanAmburg said. Wireless Service and a New Cellphone Favorite Americans aren't exactly thrilled with their

• [By Alex Planes]

  Time Warner threats

  AMC Networks plans to launch the 10-episode series Halt and Catch Fire this June. Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) will transmit several Disney channels on an a la carte basis, threatening Time Warner's premium-cable-channel advantage. Time Warner has delayed the launch of Batman vs. Superman.

  One dividend to rule them all
  In this writer's humble opinion, it seems that Disney has a better shot at long-term outperformance, thanks to its ubiquitous brand recognition and a more diversified business model. The company is likely to wind up creating more film franchises with the launch of Marvel's new X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy comics series. Orlando's recent airport expansion project should also help lure a large number of new visitors to the legendary Disney World theme park. The company's combined properties seem more defensible than Time Warner's, which is the key differentiator in long-term investing for this type of industry. You might disagree, and if so, you're encouraged to share your viewpoint in the comments below. No dividend is completely perfect, but some are bound to produce better results than others. Keep your eyes open -- you never know where you might find the next great dividend stock!

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) announced two weeks ago that it, too, wanted to buy Sprint, offering $25.5 billion compared to the $20.1 billion SoftBank bid. SoftBank's challenge will be to convince the Sprint shareholders that the DISH offer is less than what it seems.

Top 10 Media Companies To Buy Right Now: Time Warner Cable Inc(TWC)

Time Warner Cable Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a cable operator in the United States. It offers video, high-speed data, and voice services over its broadband cable systems to residential and commercial customers. The company provides a range of video services, including on-demand, high-definition (HD), and digital video recorder (DVR) services; residential high-speed data services with connection to the Internet; wireless mobile broadband Internet services; and digital phone services to residential customers. It offers video programming tiers and music services; high-speed data, networking, and transport services; and commercial digital phone service to small and medium-sized businesses under the Time Warner Cable Business Class brand. Further, Time Warner Cable Inc. sells advertising to various national, regional, and local customers. As of June 30, 2011, the company served approximately 14.5 million residential and commercial customers in the New Yor k State, the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California, and Texas. Time Warner Cable Inc. is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Search giant�Google� (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) recently outlined plans to expand its Google Fiber service to Austin, Texas. That represents a disruptive threat to local incumbent cable providers such as Time Warner Cable� (NYSE: TWC  ) and�AT&T� (NYSE: T  ) . Austinites will probably switch en masse to the new service, which will hurt both Time Warner and AT&T. Ma Bell promptly responded by announcing its own intention to build a gigabit fiber optic service if it could wrangle the same incentives as Google.

• [By Patricio Kehoe] >Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) have built superior platforms for Internet access, thus offering better data speeds as well as a full complement of services.

  Furthermore, results from the Verizon acquisition have been quite poor over the last years since the areas it covers had been neglected by the former operator, causing market share to decline.

  All in all, the growth achieved in customer Internet access and data service has translated into better revenue performance. However, this improvement is not strong enough to offset the persistent high-single-digit decline in phone revenue.

  Dividend and the AT&T Acquisition

  In 2012, Frontier reduced its dividend to 40 cents from 75 cents a share the prior year. While this is still an attractive yield, the decline has been a concern for Wall Street analysts.

  Along these lines, last December the firm decided to acquire AT&T�� landline telephone, broadband and TV operations in Connecticut for $2 billion in cash. This purchase will help the firm to boost its adjusted cash flow, thereby enhancing its ability to pay its dividend.

  Moving On

  As aforementioned, Frontier�� efforts to counter declines and resume growth have given modest results. And although the company has improved its margins, cutting costs via the reduction of its workforce by 7% in 2013, additional reductions will be difficult to accomplish.

  Frontier�� stocks trade at 47.60 its trailing earnings, a premium compared to its rivals��average of 16.70. Its earnings per share growth does not depict a better horizon, showcasing a negative 21.80% compared to the industry median of 1%. In line with these results, its return on equity delivered 2.78% compared to its competitors��average of 12.49%.

  Although investment guru David Dreman (Trades, Portfolio) recently incorporated the firm to its portfolio, the company doesn�� deliver signs of consistent growth potential. Consequently, I be

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Time Warner Cable provides entertainment, voice, and high-speed data services to a growing customer base in the United States. The company’s�shareholders may give incoming Chief Executive Officer Rob Marcus the will to reject a $62 billion offer for the company. The stock has seen a consistent uptrend in the last few years and is currently trading sideways. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been mixed while revenues have been rising which has left investors happy about recent earnings announcements. Relative to its peers and sector, Time Warner Cable has been a relative year-to-date performance leader. Look for Time Warner Cable to OUTPERFORM.

• [By Michael Calia]

  Comcast Corp.(CMCSA) is much more likely to work with Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR) on a bid for Time Warner Cable Inc.(TWC) than to pursue an offer on its own, said a person familiar with the situation–a major boost to Charter’s hopes of winning the takeover battle.

Top 10 Media Companies To Buy Right Now: Gannett Co. Inc. (GCI)

Gannett Co., Inc. operates as a media and marketing solutions company in the United States and internationally. Its Publishing segment publishes 83 U.S. daily newspapers with affiliated online sites, including USA TODAY, a national, general-interest daily newspaper; USATODAY.com; USA WEEKEND, a magazine supplement for newspapers; Clipper Magazine, a direct mail advertising magazine; bi-weekly Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek periodicals; and military and defense newspapers. This segment also includes 17 paid-for daily newspapers; approximately 200 weekly newspapers, magazines, and trade publications; and approximately 600 non-daily publications, as well as involves in commercial printing, newswire, marketing, and data services operations. The company?s Digital segment owns and operates CareerBuilder, an employment Web site, which offers online recruitment and career advancement services for employers, employees, recruiters, and job seekers; ShopLocal, which provides multicha nnel shopping and advertising services; Planet Discover, which offers hosted search and advertising services; PointRoll, which provides digital marketing services and technology; and Schedule Star, which offers scheduling solution for high school athletic departments. Its Broadcasting segment operates 23 television stations and affiliated Web sites, which produce local programming, such as news, sports, and entertainment programming. This segment also includes Captivate Network, a national news and entertainment network that delivers programming and full-motion video advertising on video screens located in elevators of office towers and select hotel lobbies in North America. The company has strategic business relationships with online affiliates, including Classified Ventures, ShopLocal.com, Topix, and Metromix LLC, as well as strategic marketing agreement with Microsoft. Gannett Co., Inc. was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Gannett (NYSE: GCI  ) will release its quarterly report next Monday, and investors are unusually enthusiastic about the company's prospects. Although a big acquisition raised awareness of Gannett's businesses outside the struggling newspaper industry, it's still unclear how much of a boost it will produce for Gannett earnings growth in the future.

• [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

  Traditional media sites did unusually well, given that they are not the core products of their parent companies. Broadcaster CBS (NYSE: CBS) was in 9th place at 80.9 million unique visitors in November. Comcast NBCUniversal was 14th place with 64.4 million. Gannett (NASDAQ: GCI) sites were 16th at 57 million. Viacom had 54.3 million, and ESPN 38.7 million.

• [By WilliamBriat]

  Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is the top newspaper publisher in the U.S.; its flagship paper is USA TODAY. The company also owns 23 television stations and more than 200 papers in the U.K. Gannett Co. provides an annual dividend of 3.3%. During the second quarter, it reported solid broadcasting and digital revenue growth and its fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year circulation revenue growth.

Top 10 Media Companies To Buy Right Now: DIRECTV(DTV)

DIRECTV provides digital television entertainment in the United States and Latin America. The company provides direct-to-home (DTH) digital television services, as well as multi-channel video programming distribution services in the United States. It offers various channels of digital-quality video entertainment and CD-quality audio programming directly to subscribers' homes or businesses, as well as video-on-demand services; and approximately 160 national high-definition television channels and 4 3D channels. The company also provides premium professional and collegiate sports programming, such as the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package, which allows subscribers to view the NFL games. In addition, it offers DTH digital television services in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. The company provides its local and international programming under the DIRECTV and SKY brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 19.2 million subscribers in the United States; and 8.9 million subscribers in Latin America. The company was founded in 1990 and is based in El Segundo, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Lewis]

  At the same time, there is renewed interest in a possible merger between Dish and DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV  ) . With Comcast and Time Warner Cable attempting to tie the knot, industry consolidation appears inevitable. If federal regulators accept one deal, they will have to deeply consider a corresponding merger between the two leading satellite providers.