French telecom Altice’s sudden push into the U.S. sets up a potential battle with Charter Communications for Time Warner Cable, as both Altice and Charter eye deals to gain scale so they can bulk up for further takeovers. Altice on Wednesday announced it would buy a 70% stake in Suddenlink Communications, the seventh-biggest U.S. cable TV firm, for about $7.9 billion. Charter (CHTR), rebuffed by Time Warner Cable (TWC) in early 2014, has been
Research firm Evercore ISI initiated coverage on three cybersecurity stocks, saying a rapidly escalating threat environment is changing the way enterprises defend against online attacks. “The threat landscape has dramatically changed over the past decade, as hackers have become much more sophisticated with access to larger resources,” Evercore analyst Bill Whyman wrote in a report. “While it was easier in the past to depict hackers as loners
Security software maker Symantec (SYMC), which is preparing to split into two companies, late Thursday reported fiscal Q4 revenue and earnings that slightly missed analyst expectations, as did its outlook for the current quarter. The company, however, is headed in the right direction, Symantec CEO Michael Brown told IBD in a short interview after earnings were released. If adjusted for currency headwinds, Q4 revenue rose slightly, marking its