Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Up After Earnings, Disney Plus Bundle Deal
Warner Bros. Discovery shares are higher Thursday after the media giant disclosed Q1 earnings and a bundle deal with Disney. Here's what you need to know.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Today
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. Smart money moves start here.
Sent five days a week
Kiplinger A Step Ahead
Get practical help to make better financial decisions in your everyday life, from spending to savings on top deals.
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Closing Bell
Get today's biggest financial and investing headlines delivered to your inbox every day the U.S. stock market is open.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Adviser Intel
Financial pros across the country share best practices and fresh tactics to preserve and grow your wealth.
Delivered weekly
Kiplinger Tax Tips
Trim your federal and state tax bills with practical tax-planning and tax-cutting strategies.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Retirement Tips
Your twice-a-week guide to planning and enjoying a financially secure and richly rewarding retirement
Sent bimonthly.
Kiplinger Adviser Angle
Insights for advisers, wealth managers and other financial professionals.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Investing Weekly
Your twice-a-week roundup of promising stocks, funds, companies and industries you should consider, ones you should avoid, and why.
Sent weekly for six weeks
Kiplinger Invest for Retirement
Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose.
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) stock is higher in afternoon trading Thursday as investors parse the company's first-quarter earnings report and news of a streaming bundle offer with Walt Disney (DIS).
In the three months ended March 31, Warner Bros. Discovery's revenue decreased 7% year-over-year to $9.96 billion. Its per-share loss of 40 cents from a loss of 44 cents in the year-ago period.
Free cash flow (FCF), which is the cash remaining after a company has paid its expenses, interest on debt, taxes and long-term investments to grow its business, showed a major improvement, coming in at positive $390 million compared with negative $930 million a year ago.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
"We are pleased with our progress in the first quarter as evidenced by strong results in important KPIs," Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in a statement. “Importantly, we once again delivered strong free cash flow, even in our seasonally weakest FCF quarter."
The Q1 results came up short of analysts' expectations. According to CNBC, Wall Street was expecting revenue of $10.2 billion and a loss of 24 cents per share.
The bright spot for Warner Bros. Discovery was its Max streaming unit, which saw revenues increase "modestly" to about $2.5 billion, driven by a 69.9% increase in advertising revenue to $175 million. The unit added 2 million subscribers from the prior quarter to bring its total to 99.6 million.
"We will soon be rolling out Max to 29 countries across Europe, and the content lineup for Max over the coming year is one of our strongest ever," Zaslav said. "Warner Bros. Pictures also had a strong start to the year as the first studio to reach $1 billion in both overseas and global box office, and they have a great slate in the works."
Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney unveil streaming bundle
Another potential growth driver for Warner Bros. Discovery is the new streaming bundle offer that includes Max and Disney's Disney Plus and Hulu platforms.
The deal was announced Wednesday, May 8, and will be available in ad-supported and ad-free plans.
The bundle creates the "opportunity to drive incremental subscriber growth," said Zaslov in today's earnings call, adding that "this product will help increase retention and lower churn, and thus support higher customer lifetime values." He added that the bundle will be available this summer.
Where does WBD stock stand with analysts?
Warner Bros. Discovery shares have had a rough 2024, down 30% so far. Still, analysts are bullish on the communication services stock.
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, the consensus analyst target price for WBD stock is $13.01, representing implied upside of more than 60% to current levels. Meanwhile, the consensus recommendation is Buy.
Related Content
-
Nasdaq Leads a Rocky Risk-On Rally: Stock Market TodayAnother worrying bout of late-session weakness couldn't take down the main equity indexes on Wednesday.
-
Quiz: Do You Know How to Avoid the "Medigap Trap?"Quiz Test your basic knowledge of the "Medigap Trap" in our quick quiz.
-
5 Top Tax-Efficient Mutual Funds for Smarter InvestingMutual funds are many things, but "tax-friendly" usually isn't one of them. These are the exceptions.
-
Nasdaq Leads a Rocky Risk-On Rally: Stock Market Today
Another worrying bout of late-session weakness couldn't take down the main equity indexes on Wednesday.
-
5 Top Tax-Efficient Mutual Funds for Smarter Investing
Mutual funds are many things, but "tax-friendly" usually isn't one of them. These are the exceptions.
-
Why Invest In Mutual Funds When ETFs Exist?Exchange-traded funds are cheaper, more tax-efficient and more flexible. But don't put mutual funds out to pasture quite yet.
-
Social Security Break-Even Math Is Helpful, But Don't Let It Dictate When You'll FileYour Social Security break-even age tells you how long you'd need to live for delaying to pay off, but shouldn't be the sole basis for deciding when to claim.
-
I'm an Opportunity Zone Pro: This Is How to Deliver Roth-Like Tax-Free Growth (Without Contribution Limits)Investors who combine Roth IRAs, the gold standard of tax-free savings, with qualified opportunity funds could enjoy decades of tax-free growth.
-
One of the Most Powerful Wealth-Building Moves a Woman Can Make: A Midcareer PivotIf it feels like you can't sustain what you're doing for the next 20 years, it's time for an honest look at what's draining you and what energizes you.
-
Stocks Make More Big Up and Down Moves: Stock Market TodayThe impact of revolutionary technology has replaced world-changing trade policy as the major variable for markets, with mixed results for sectors and stocks.
-
I'm a Wealth Adviser Obsessed With Mahjong: Here Are 8 Ways It Can Teach Us How to Manage Our MoneyThis increasingly popular Chinese game can teach us not only how to help manage our money but also how important it is to connect with other people.
