News Corp Stock Price, News & Analysis

News (NWS) reported strong first quarter fiscal 2025 results with record revenues of $2.58 billion, a 3% increase year-over-year. Net income jumped 148% to $144 million, while Total Segment EBITDA grew 14% to $415 million. Earnings per share reached $0.21, up from $0.05 in the prior year. Growth was primarily driven by strong performance in Digital Real Estate Services, Book Publishing, and Dow Jones segments. REA Group achieved record quarterly revenues of $318 million, up 22%. Digital book sales increased 15%, while Dow Jones saw 8% growth in its professional information business, with Risk & Compliance revenues up 16%.

Irenic Capital Management, one of News Corp's largest unaffiliated shareholders, announced its support for Starboard Value LP's proposal to eliminate News Corp's dual-class share structure. Irenic advocates for a 'one share, one vote' principle while recommending that high-vote Class B shareholders receive a substantial premium for the conversion, citing recent similar reclassifications that provided premiums ranging from 26.5% to 31%. The firm maintains confidence in management's efforts to unlock shareholder value, despite the lengthy process, particularly regarding the Dow Jones and REA franchises.

According to Realtor.com's October Monthly Housing Report, home sellers who listed properties in September contributed to increased market demand in October, with significant pending home sales increases in key markets like Seattle (+50.5%), Boston (+25.7%), and San Diego (+22.1%). Active inventory rose 29.2% compared to October 2023, reaching its highest level since December 2019. New listings increased by 9.9% year-over-year, with the West leading regional growth at 7%. The median listing price remained stable at $424,950, while the median list price per square foot increased by 2.1% year-over-year and 50.5% compared to October 2019.

News Corp (NWS) has announced it will release its first quarter Fiscal 2025 earnings on Thursday, November 7, 2024. CEO Robert Thomson and CFO Susan Panuccio will host a live audio webcast at 5:00 p.m. EST (9:00 a.m. AEDT on November 8 in Sydney) to discuss the results. The earnings release will be available on the company's investor relations website before the call, and a replay will be accessible shortly after the presentation concludes.

Dow Jones announced the expansion of WSJ Tech Live to Qatar through a multi-year agreement starting in late 2025. The invitation-only conference will be held annually for five years, marking its first Middle East edition while maintaining its annual California event. The Qatar conference will gather over 200 C-suite executives, investors, startups, and venture capitalists globally. The expansion aligns with Qatar's vision to become a global tech hub as outlined in their National Vision 2030. The current year's WSJ Tech Live achieved record-breaking sponsorship revenue, featuring discussions on generative AI, brain-computer interfaces, startup investments, and tech talent development.

Realtor.com's bi-annual down payment report reveals that home buyers are retreating from record-high down payments. In Q3 2024, nationwide down payments reached an average of 14.5% and a median amount of $30,300, down from Q2 2024's historical peak of 14.9% and $32,700. This decline is attributed to easing mortgage rates and improved affordability conditions.

Key findings include:

• Down payments remain historically high, more than double the pre-pandemic median
• Northeast states saw climbing down payments, with Maine and Rhode Island increasing the most
• Down payments shrank annually in half of the U.S. states
• Florida experienced a 24% year-over-year drop in down payments
• The District of Columbia saw the largest absolute decline, with down payments dropping over $17,000 year-over-year

Experts suggest that easing demand and increasing inventory gave buyers more flexibility, leading to slightly lower down payments. However, it's too early to determine if this is the beginning of a lasting downward trend.

A new Realtor.com® survey reveals that 23% of Americans say local and national politics highly influence their decision about where to live, with this figure rising to 33% for millennials. Nearly 1 in 5 adults (17%) have considered moving due to political misalignment with their area's majority.

Key findings include:

• Only 38% of Americans agree their political views align with the majority in their area
• 33% of millennials report high influence of national politics on living decisions, compared to 25% for Gen Z, 21% for Gen X, and 16% for baby boomers
• 30% of liberals say national politics influence their living decisions, versus 18% of moderates and 27% of conservatives
• 48% of frequent voters feel their views align with the local majority, compared to 30% of occasional voters and 18% of inactive voters

The survey suggests that political alignment could play a significant role in future housing trends and potentially impact the 2024 presidential election.

Realtor.com®'s September Rental Report reveals a regional divide in the U.S. rental market. While national rents declined for the 14th consecutive month, the Midwest experienced growth, with Cincinnati leading at 3.4% annual increase. Conversely, Southern markets saw the steepest declines, with Nashville dropping 4.8% year-over-year.

The report highlights that 8 out of 10 Midwestern markets saw rent increases, attributed to strong affordability and robust labor markets. Meanwhile, 8 out of 10 markets with the largest rent drops were in the South, due to rapid growth in new multi-family housing.

Nationally, the median asking rent decreased by 0.5% year-over-year to $1,743. Rent decreases were observed across all unit sizes, with studios experiencing the steepest drop at -2.3%. Despite the overall decline, U.S. median rent remains just 1.0% below its August 2022 peak and is 19.6% higher than pre-pandemic levels in September 2019.

Realtor.com® released a report analyzing how population shifts could reshape the political landscape in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The study used proprietary data on geographic home shopping trends and county-level 2020 election results to predict potential changes. Key findings include:

- Nine states could potentially become bluer, while 22 states could shift redder.
- Three swing states (Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina) could trend redder, while two (Wisconsin, Nevada) could shift bluer.
- Michigan and Pennsylvania show mixed population shifts with no clear direction.
- Florida, Texas, and North Carolina are top destinations for both blue and red out-of-state home shoppers.
- New Jersey attracts more blue shoppers, while Tennessee is favored by red buyers.

The analysis considers factors such as influx rates of blue vs. red shoppers and retention rates of local home shoppers to predict potential shifts in state political leanings.