An investment consortium comprised of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A ) and a 3G Capital investment fund has completed the acquisition of H.J. Heinz (NYSE: HNZ ) for $72.50 per share and a new CEO has taken over Heinz, the company announced today.
With the transaction concluded, June 7 will be the final day Heinz is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the company said. As previously announced, Bernardo Hees has been named the new CEO of Heinz, replacing the retiring William Johnson, who held the position for more than 15 years. The appointment of Hees and the retirement of Johnson are both effective immediately, Heinz said, though Johnson will continue to serve as an advisor to Hees relating to, "certain specific industry and strategic non-operating matters."
Hees was quoted as saying, "I am honored today to become Heinz's seventh CEO in the Company's renowned 144 year history. I look forward to building upon Heinz's incredible platform and delivering world-class products for all of our consumers around the world."
Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)
Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Networks, Filmed Entertainment, and Publishing. The Networks segment provides domestic and international networks, premium pay and basic tier television programming services, and digital media properties, which primarily consist of brand-aligned Websites. Its premium pay television services consist of the multi-channel HBO and Cinemax premium pay television services. This segment provides programming to cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors; sells advertising; and licenses original programming to domestic and international television networks. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces and distributes feature films, television and other programming, and videogames; distributes home video products; and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming, and characters. T he Publishing segment publishes magazines and books; and operates various Websites, as well as engages in marketing services and direct-marketing businesses. This segment publishes magazines on style and entertainment, lifestyle, news, and sports. The company?s brands include TNT, TBS, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alex Planes]
CNN achieved prominence in 1986 when it was the only network to offer live television coverage of the space shuttle Challenger, which exploded shortly after takeoff. The Persian Gulf War of 1991 was CNN's coming-out party, as it was the only outlet offering live communications from inside Iraq during the initial bombing strikes. Five years later, CNN (along with the other Turner broadcasting networks) merged with Time Warner (NYSE: TWX ) , which dramatically expanded its reach, both domestically and internationally. Today, CNN reaches more than 100 million households and nearly a million hotel rooms in the United States, and is also available in an international format in virtually all of the world's sovereign countries.
Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Time Warner Cable Inc(TWC)
Time Warner Cable Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a cable operator in the United States. It offers video, high-speed data, and voice services over its broadband cable systems to residential and commercial customers. The company provides a range of video services, including on-demand, high-definition (HD), and digital video recorder (DVR) services; residential high-speed data services with connection to the Internet; wireless mobile broadband Internet services; and digital phone services to residential customers. It offers video programming tiers and music services; high-speed data, networking, and transport services; and commercial digital phone service to small and medium-sized businesses under the Time Warner Cable Business Class brand. Further, Time Warner Cable Inc. sells advertising to various national, regional, and local customers. As of June 30, 2011, the company served approximately 14.5 million residential and commercial customers in the New Yor k State, the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California, and Texas. Time Warner Cable Inc. is based in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]
Time Warner Cable is a provider of entertainment, voice, and high-speed data services to a growing customer base around the nation. The company is still searching for strategic acquisitions in order to compete, and have shifted towards Hulu, the online video streaming service. The stock has been on a strong run over the last several years, which has taken it to all-time high prices. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenue figures have been on the rise, but investors in the company have grown to a expect a little more. Relative to its peers and sector, Time Warner Cable has been an average year-to-date performer. Look for Time Warner Cable to continue to OUTPERFORM.
- [By David Dittman]
And so will be the proposed $45.2 billion engagement of Comcast Corp (NSDQ: CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable Inc (NYSE: TWC) before they can be joined as one.
- [By Tim Brugger]
Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC ) , Comcast, and Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR ) , have all been on the other side of the Internet subscriber fence. Phone companies such as AT&T�and Verizon began losing customers to these and other cable Internet providers some time ago, largely because of speed and connectivity issues. And now along comes Google Fiber with an alternative that blows the doors off anything Comcast, Time Warner, or Charter can offer, and often for the same or less money. If the cable industry isn't worried, it should be.
- [By Jayson Derrick]
The FCC requested a variety of information from Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) related to its proposed takeover of Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC). Shares of Comcast lost 0.48 percent, closing at $54.18 while shares of Time Warner Cable lost 0.73 percent, closing at $146.45.
10 Best Beverage Stocks To Own For 2016: Discovery Communications Inc(DISCA)
Discovery Communications, Inc. operates as a non fiction media and entertainment company worldwide. The company provides original and purchased programming across various distribution platforms. Its content covers science, exploration, survival, natural history, sustainability of the environment, technology, docu-series, anthropology, paleontology, history, space, archaeology, health and wellness, engineering, adventure, lifestyles, forensics, civilization, and current events. The company owns and operates nine national television networks in the United States, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Military Channel, Planet Green, Discovery Fit & Health, and Velocity. Discovery Communications also has interests in Oprah Winfrey Network, a pay-television network and Web site; The Hub that features original programming, game shows, and live-action series and specials; and 3net, a three-dimensional network. In addition, it o ffers network branded Web sites, and mobile and video-on-demand services; and distributes various national and pan-regional television networks. Further, the company develops and sells curriculum-based products and services to public and private K-12 schools, such as access to an online VOD service that includes curriculum-based tools, professional development services, and student assessment and publication of hardcopy curriculum-based content; and postproduction audio services to motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies, and interactive producers. As of December 31, 2011, it operated approximately 150 distribution feeds in 40 languages. The company is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alyce Lomax]
An hour is the amount of time Americans might allot for watching an episode of, say, Dirty Jobs in their free time. Speaking of jobs, dirty or otherwise, Discovery Communications' (NASDAQ: DISCA ) CEO David Zaslav's pay calculation came to $24,000 per hour.
- [By Julianne Pepitone]
At $45 a share, Wieser pointed out, Twitter's valuation isn't too far below more established media companies like CBS (CBS, Fortune 500), Discovery Communications (DISCA) and Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500).
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Discovery Communications (DISCA) has gained 4.9% to $88.48 after the company reported a profit of 80 cents a share, beating forecasts for 72 cents.
Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Liberty Global Inc.(LBTYA)
Liberty Global, Inc. provides video, broadband Internet, and telephony services primarily in Europe and Chile. The company offers broadband services over cable distribution systems, including video, broadband Internet, and telephony; and video services through direct-to-home satellite, or through multichannel multipoint distribution systems. Its analog video services comprise basic and expanded basic programming; and digital cable services include basic and premium programming, digital video recorders, and high definition programming, as well as pay-per-view programming, such as video-on-demand and near video-on-demand. In addition, the company offers voice-over-Internet-protocol and circuit-switched telephony services, as well as mobile telephony services using third-party networks. Further, it owns programming networks that provide video programming channels to multi-channel distribution systems owned by the company and the third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the com pany owned and operated networks that passed 33,262,100 homes; and served 18,405,500 video subscribers, 8,159,300 broadband Internet subscribers, and 6,225,300 telephony subscribers. Liberty Global, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Amy Thomson]
Vodafone has already expanded beyond wireless service, and in June beat John Malone�� Liberty Global (LBTYA) Plc to take over Germany�� Kabel Deutschland Holding AG. (KD8) Vodafone and Verizon accelerated talks on the stake sale after the Kabel Deutschland offer, which put additional pressure on the British company�� finances, a person familiar with the matter said.
- [By Vera Yuan]
In other portfolio activity we added to Liberty Global (LBTYA) after a helpful meeting with management, topped up our Valeant (VRX) position when the stock weakened during the summer, and modestly trimmed Iconix (ICON) shares with the stock in the $40��. We also sold Target (TGT) at a healthy gain as new management works through several operational challenges against a tough competitive backdrop. On balance we were net buyers, with residual cash declining from 28% to 24% of net assets at quarter end.
- [By Vera Yuan]
Dear Fellow Shareholder: The U.S. economy continues to gradually expand, building on the 5+ year recovery from the Great Recession. Employment levels are improving, though progress has been slower than expected. Inflation, for now, remains subdued. As signaled and on cue, the Fed has been weaning the economy (and investors) off of the extraordinary ��uantitative easing��stimulus. Investors have generally shrugged off world events that might otherwise cause high anxiety (ISIS and the Middle East, Russia and Ukraine, etc.). As attention now turns to when the Fed will raise short-term interest rates, it seems plausible that volatility may intensify as the stimulus security blanket is removed. In the meantime, companies are taking advantage of the artificially low interest rate environment and sanguine investor sentiment. Merger activity remains robust, fueled by cheap and readily available credit. The IPO market has been very active, headlined by the successful Alibaba offering in September. Corporate treasurers continue to issue loads of debt on attractive terms, locking in generationally low interest rates for long terms. While these conditions will not last forever, they have helped opportunistic managers accelerate equity value growth at many companies.Investment Commentary and Outlook After three years of seemingly non-stop gains, the stock market took a pause in the third quarter. While most large cap indices eked out modest positive returns, the broader investing waters were far less placid. Small cap stocks sold off as the Russell 2000 declined more than 7% during the quarter. Energy stocks, both large and small, fell materially as investors worried about too much oil and gas supply coming online in North America (what a difference a decade makes). High yield bonds wobbled briefly in July, then again in September. Increasingly, investors are not treating all securities the same, and as stock pickers we welcome this development. Our equity funds��resu
- [By Sam Robson]
LONDON -- Vodafone� (LSE: VOD ) (NASDAQ: VOD ) �is believed to have increased its offer for Kabel Deutschland following a rival bid from�Liberty Global� (NASDAQ: LBTYA ) .
Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now: CBS Corporation(CBS)
CBS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mass media company in the United States and internationally. The company?s Entertainment segment distributes a schedule of news and public affairs broadcasts, sports, and entertainment programming; produces, acquires, and distributes programming, including series, specials, news, and public affairs; produces and distributes theatrical motion pictures across various genres; and operates online content networks for information and entertainment. Its Cable Networks segment owns and operates multiplexed channels that offers subscription program services, including recently released theatrical feature films, original series, documentaries, boxing, mixed martial arts and other sports-related programming, and special events; and CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour cable program service related to college sports. This segment also owns and manages Smithsonian Networks, which operates Smithsonian Channel, a basic cab le service in the United States. The company?s Publishing segment publishes and distributes adult and children?s consumer books in printed, audio, and digital formats. Its Local Broadcasting segment owns 29 broadcast television stations; owns and operates 130 radio stations in 28 U.S. markets and related online properties; and owns local Websites that combine television and radio local media brands online to provide the latest news, traffic, weather, and sports information, as well as local discounts, directories, and reviews. The company?s Outdoor segment sells advertising space on various media, including billboards, transit shelters and other street furniture, buses, rail systems, mall kiosks, stadium signage, and in retail stores. CBS Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
Who's losing?
Even though it has multiple revenue sources, I was a bit discouraged to discover that CBS (NYSE: CBS ) came in dead last among TV respondents, garnering less than 0.5% of the vote. Despite the poor showing among respondents, CBS must be doing something right with its other mediums (i.e., CBS Sports Network), because its first-quarter revenue and EBITDA were both records. - [By Tim Beyers]
Showtime and corporate parent CBS (NYSE: CBS ) have some bloody shoes to fill with ratings winner Dexter, which recently entered its eighth and final season. The cast and producers said goodbye to fans last week at San Diego Comic-Con.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Getty Images For a lot of people, the end of the year is a time of celebration. Not just because of the holidays and family - but also for the big end-of-the-year bonus that gets paid out for all the work you've done over the last 12 months. More than half of all employers give out a year-end bonus that might be monetary in nature or come in the form of other benefits like gifts cards or employee gift registries. Monetary bonuses can differ in appearance too from direct paycheck compensation to 401(k) contributions. Some people refer to this type of bonus as a Christmas bonus. While bonuses have experienced a downward trend over the last few years due to the recession, the average bonus was about 1.3 months of salary in 2013, according to JobsDB.com. Wall Street Takes the Cake for Year-End Bonuses It's no secret that the biggest year-end bonuses go to those who work on Wall Street. These bonuses can run from a few thousand for a secretary to millions for higher-level management. In 2013, the average Wall Street bonus rose 15 percent to $164,530, according to The New York Times. That's still tame compared to the biggest bonuses paid out to Wall Street executives. The top three bonuses of 2013 - paid to Michael Farrell, Ian Cumming and Leslie Moonves - alone added up to around $84 million, according to Forbes. Farrell's bonus was earned on only a partial year of work. $29 million -– Michael Farrell, former CEO of Annaly Capital Management $27.5 million -– Ian Cumming, CEO of Leucadia National Corp. $27.5 million -– Leslie Moonves, CEO of CBS (CBS) While we can safely assume these people have a huge tax bill at the end of the year, you might be surprised to know that - whether you received one hundred thousand dollars or just a few hundred bucks - the tax rate on bonuses remains the same for most. How Your Bonus Gets Taxed The first thing you'll probably notice when receiving a bonus check is how much gets taken out in taxes. It's not
- [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]
CBS is a provider of entertainment and mass media solutions to a growing global audience that stands ready to enjoy its content. The stock has been on a strong path towards higher prices that has taken it to all-time highs, where it is now consolidating. Over the last four quarters, the company has seen rising earnings and revenue figures that have really sat well with investors. Relative to its peers and sector, CBS has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for CBS to continue to OUTPERFORM.
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