On Tuesday, TD Cowen adjusted its financial outlook on FOX Corp (NASDAQ:FOXA), increasing the media company's price target from $36.00 to $42.00, while the Hold rating remained unchanged. The revision follows FOX's first-quarter fiscal year 2025 revenue, which surpassed both the analyst's and consensus estimates. A notable factor contributing to the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) beat was a reduction in core Cable Networks costs.
The revenue growth for FOX Corp was attributed mainly to a significant rise in sports sublicensing fees, which are generally considered low-margin. This performance has led to a reevaluation of the fiscal year 2025 projections for the company.
The updated price target reflects the positive financial results and adjustments in the company's forecast. Despite the increase in the price target to $42.00, TD Cowen continues to advise a Hold position on FOX Corp shares.
FOX Corp's recent financial achievements have prompted the firm to revise its expectations and valuation of the company. The Hold rating indicates that while the analyst acknowledges the company's solid performance, they do not recommend either buying or selling the stock at this time.
The price target increase to $42.00 from $36.00 is based on the latest earnings data and the analyst's updated analysis. Investors and market watchers will likely monitor FOX Corp's performance closely to see if the company continues to exceed financial expectations.
In other recent news, FOX Corp. has been the subject of multiple upgrades and positive adjustments from financial analysts. Evercore ISI raised its price target for the media company from $38.00 to $42.00, citing a strong start to FY25. This was echoed by Guggenheim and CFRA, who also upgraded their price targets to $50.00 and $46.00 respectively, following robust performance in the September quarter. These revisions reflect the company's substantial revenue growth, driven by political advertising and solid viewership numbers across its platforms.
FOX Corp.'s revenue growth accelerated to 11%, with the company's first-quarter performance exceeding both Guggenheim's and consensus estimates. This was largely attributed to record political advertising revenue and a 47% increase in 'Other' revenue growth. The company's ad-supported streaming service, Tubi, also saw a revenue growth of 19%.
Future expectations suggest that growth could slow down in the second half of FY25 and possibly extend into the first half of FY26. This anticipated deceleration is part of a recurring discussion about whether FOX Corp. has reached its peak earnings potential. Despite these uncertainties, the near-term prospects for FOX Corp. appear stable, supported by current trends in political advertising and viewership.
The company's financial health was also noted, with cash and cash equivalents amounting to $4.1 billion and a debt level of $7.2 billion. The company's free cash flow stood at $0.94 million after accounting for share repurchases of $250 million and dividend payments totaling $135 million.
FOX Corp. reported an EPS of $1.78 for the September quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.13. This beat was driven by a 5.6% revenue increase, spurred by the election news cycle and live sports events. The company's total quarterly revenue was $3.56 billion, surpassing the expected $3.37 billion. Fox's Cable Network Programming division reported revenue of $1.60 billion, exceeding analysts' projection.
InvestingPro Insights
FOX Corp's recent financial performance, which exceeded analyst expectations, is further supported by real-time data from InvestingPro. The company's P/E ratio of 10.46 and forward P/E ratio of 9.48 suggest that the stock may be undervalued relative to its earnings potential. This aligns with an InvestingPro Tip indicating that FOX is "Trading at a low P/E ratio relative to near-term earnings growth."
Additionally, FOX Corp has demonstrated strong market performance, with a 19.05% price total return over the past three months and a 34.8% return over six months. This robust performance is reflected in another InvestingPro Tip, which notes a "Strong return over the last three months."
For investors seeking more comprehensive analysis, InvestingPro offers 11 additional tips for FOX Corp, providing a deeper understanding of the company's financial health and market position.
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