Tag Archives: cmcsa

T-Mobile Seen With ‘Strategic Appeal’ And AT&T Best Positioning

The “stand-alone trajectory” of T-Mobile US ( TMUS )  “looks very bright” while long-term prospects for a deal with Dish Network ( DISH ), Sprint, or a cable TV firm are still alive, says Deutsche Bank, which initiated coverage with a buy rating. Matthew Niknam, a Deutsche Bank analyst, also started coverage on AT&T ( T ), rural phone company Frontier Communications ( FTR ) and cell tower companies American Tower ( AMT ) and Crown Castle ( CCI ) with buy ratings. He initiated Verizon Communications ( VZ ), Sprint ( S ), CenturyLink ( CTL ), Windstream, and SBA Communications ( SBAC ) with hold ratings. T-Mobile, with its Uncarrier-branded marketing strategy, has gained market share vs. bigger rivals. Controlled by Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile has “strategic appeal to potential industry partners,” wrote Niknam. “With video increasingly going mobile, and reports that Comcast ( CMCSA ) has recently triggered its (wholesale) agreement with Verizon, we believe cable companies may increasingly view mobile network ownership as a longer-term strategic option.” While Comcast has plenty financial muscle to pull off an acquisition, Dish Networks’ stock has dropped while Sprint holds more than $32 billion in debt. AT&T’s acquisition of satellite TV broadcaster DirecTV, meanwhile, has bolstered its competitive position, says Niknam. “We believe AT&T is best positioned strategically, given AT&T’s presence across each of the key distribution platforms (mobile, video, wired broadband/phone), and its leadership position (#1 or #2 share ) across each market,” he said. Frontier stock was up about 4.5% in afternoon trading on the stock market today . Sprint and CenturyLink were up more than 2%, and SBA more than 3%. IBD Leaderboard stock AT&T was up almost 1%. Image provided by Shutterstock .

Verizon FiOS Revamps Skinny TV Bundles, Adds ESPN; Disney Feud Over?

Verizon Communications ’ ( VZ ) spat with Walt Disney ( DIS ) over sports channel ESPN could be over. Verizon on Friday revamped its “Custom TV” programming packages for FiOS TV subscribers. Verizon FiOS now offers two standard bundles — one with sports channels ESPN, Fox Sports and NBC Sports and one without them, according to a release . The “Essentials” package without sports has more popular entertainment channels.  Ray McConville, a Verizon spokesperson, said the new bundles still give customers the option of skipping sports. He said the Custom TV revamp had nothing to do with a dispute that flared in April between Verizon and Disney. When Verizon launched Custom TV, its $55 monthly base package for 35 channels excluded Disney’s ESPN, which garners the highest fees among cable networks. Disney sued Verizon claiming it doesn’t have rights to exclude its sports channel from TV bundles under programming deals. Verizon expanded the number of channels in both new packages. The new offering now cost $69.99, along with FiOS Internet and digital voice services. Following Verizon’s Q4 earnings call, analysts speculated that a Verizon-Disney resolution could be in the cards, as IBD reported. Disney, meanwhile, on its Q4 call commented on ESPN’s success as part of Dish Networks ‘ ( DISH ) online TV service called Sling. Disney is exploring streaming deals with other companies. Disney’s ESPN is also not part of  Comcast ’s ( CMCSA ) over-the-top “Stream” TV service. Image provided by Shutterstock .

AT&T, Verizon Reach Stock Buy Points; High-Rated Nvidia Rockets

Loading the player…   After three straight up days for the stock market through midweek, some top-rated tech stocks are flashing buy signals, and others are on the move. Graphics chip maker Nvidia ( NVDA ) jumped as much as 12% early Thursday after the Tesla Motors ( TSLA ) partner blew past estimates for the fourth quarter, as well as beating on guidance, with its Wednesday afternoon earnings report . Heading toward the closing bell Nvidia stock was up almost 9% for the day, near 30. The company gets a strong 93 Composite Rating out of a possible 99 from IBD, and while not yet in buy range, it is moving in the right direction. Wednesday, the company said Facebook ( FB ) and Alibaba Group ( BABA ) will use its accelerator technology for machine learning, an aspect of artificial intelligence. The S&P 500 index was down fractionally approaching Thursday’s closing bell, tempering the stock market rally this week. Telecoms Grab Top Ratings Sole IBD Leaderboard tech stock  AT&T ( T ) climbed into buy range above 36.55 as of Tuesday, from a recent base. It was up almost 1% ahead of the closing bell in the stock market today , near 37. Fund managers have increased holdings, drawn partly by AT&T dividends and the company’s stability as a defensive play. It gets a best-possible IBD Composite Rating of 99. That other big telecom, Verizon ( VZ ), also has a high dividend and gets a best-possible Composite Rating from IBD. Up more than 1% in afternoon trading, it rose into buy range today, just above a 50.96 buy point. Near the closing bell Verizon flirted with that number. It’s on IBD’s Big Cap 20 list, as is cable giant Comcast ( CMCSA ), expected to bid for wireless spectrum in a March FCC auction. Comcast could become a significant wireless provider, Mobilocity analyst Gerry Purdy said Wednesday. It’s about 9% under a buy point and was trading near 57 Thursday afternoon, down a fraction. Research this week from S&P Capital IQ analyst Lindsey Bell pegs telecom services as the leader in terms of Q4 earnings growth among 10 sectors it tracks, at about 20%. Verizon stock is up about 10% so far this year, and AT&T is 8% higher. Comcast is up about 2%, while Nvidia remains down 9%.