UBS Maintains a 'Neutral' on Time Warner (TWX); Return of Capital Intact/No Surprises...Yet
TWX Hot Sheet
Rating Summary:11 Buy, 4 Hold, 1 Sell
Rating Trend:
Down
Today's Overall Ratings:
Up: 19 | Down: 7 | New: 26
UBS maintains a 'Neutral' on Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) price target raised from $33 to $39.
UBS analyst says, "4Q results beat expectations on lower than expected costs. We are lowering our 1Q EBIT forecast to $1.32B from $1.44B, but are adding it back to 2H12, slightly raising EBIT for the year to $6.03B from $6.01B. Our EPS change is greater, benefitting from a lower tax rate and lower share count – 1Q and 2012 EPS are now $0.66 and $3.20 vs. prior $0.72 and $3.08."
"An increase in investment in ’12, specifically in programming, publishing and corp, is slowing EBIT growth in ’12 to 2.9% vs. 8.6% in ’11. HBO subs increased for the year (+200k), better than some feared. With leverage at target levels (2.5x), we also expect a decline in cash returns to ~$3.2B in ’12 ($1B in divs; $2.2B in buyback) vs. $5.6B in ’11 ($1B in divs; $4.6B in buyback)."
For an analyst ratings summary and ratings history on Time Warner click here. For more ratings news on Time Warner click here.
Shares of Time Warner closed at $38.11 yesterday, with a 52 week range of $27.62-$39.24.
Discover Wall Street's best ratings calls with the pros - Ratings Insider Elite. Free Trial!
UBS analyst says, "4Q results beat expectations on lower than expected costs. We are lowering our 1Q EBIT forecast to $1.32B from $1.44B, but are adding it back to 2H12, slightly raising EBIT for the year to $6.03B from $6.01B. Our EPS change is greater, benefitting from a lower tax rate and lower share count – 1Q and 2012 EPS are now $0.66 and $3.20 vs. prior $0.72 and $3.08."
"An increase in investment in ’12, specifically in programming, publishing and corp, is slowing EBIT growth in ’12 to 2.9% vs. 8.6% in ’11. HBO subs increased for the year (+200k), better than some feared. With leverage at target levels (2.5x), we also expect a decline in cash returns to ~$3.2B in ’12 ($1B in divs; $2.2B in buyback) vs. $5.6B in ’11 ($1B in divs; $4.6B in buyback)."
For an analyst ratings summary and ratings history on Time Warner click here. For more ratings news on Time Warner click here.
Shares of Time Warner closed at $38.11 yesterday, with a 52 week range of $27.62-$39.24.
Discover Wall Street's best ratings calls with the pros - Ratings Insider Elite. Free Trial!
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