Top 5 Media Stocks To Invest In 2014

Things never get dull for the country's lone satellite-radio provider. Shares of Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI  ) moved higher after three straight weeks of declines -- before giving it all back on Friday to close unchanged at $3.52. The media darling's flat showing was beaten by Nasdaq's 1.3% surge on the week.

There was more going on beyond the share-price gyrations, though. Short interest on Sirius XM inched lower. Fans are bracing for a monthly rate increase. And on the streaming front, a Wall Street Journal article looked at the promise of streaming as a revenue maker for the recording industry.

Let's take a closer look.

Short people
Exchanges posted their short interest data for mid-December on Tuesday. The number of shares of Sirius XM sold short dipped from 302.9 million at the end of November to 280 million.

That's historically low for Sirius XM. Outside of a brief spell a little over a month ago, when the number of bearish bets fell to nearly 270 million, this is the lowest level of naysayer activity of the year. Sirius XM has done its part to clear out the bears by posting solid results and encouraging subscriber metrics through 2013.

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Thomson Reuters Corp(TRI)

Thomson Reuters Corporation provides intelligent information for businesses and professionals worldwide. The company allows market participants to connect, access content, and trade in a secure environment through Thomson Reuters Eikon desktop, Thomson Reuters Elektron network, content integration and management technology, content feeds and databases, and transactions infrastructure solutions that support buy- and sell-side customers to trade in foreign exchange, fixed income and derivatives, equities, exchange-traded instruments, and commodities and energy markets. It also offers information, analytics, workflow, and technology solutions to buy-side and off-trading floor customers; access to liquidity in over-the-counter markets, trade execution, and connections for market participants and financial professionals? communities; and a suite of solutions offering informed outcomes to regulated industries and law firms. In addition, the company provides critical information , decision support tools, and software and services to legal, investigation, business, and government professionals; integrated tax compliance and accounting software and services for accounting and law firms, corporations, and government professionals; intellectual property and scientific resources that enable its customers to discover, develop, and deliver innovations; and data analytics, and performance benchmarking solutions and services to healthcare sector. Further, it offers coverage of global, regional, and national news in 20 languages covering politics, business, finance, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, health, science, and sports; and engages in advertising-supported direct-to-consumer publishing activities of Reuters.com and its network of Websites, mobile applications, and electronic out-of-home displays. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Thomson Reuters (TRI)

  On Feb. 11, Thomson Reuters declared a dividend of $0.330 per share, representing 3.80% dividend yield for the company. This dividend is payable on March 17 to shareholders of the record at the close of business on Feb. 24, 2014.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Invest In 2014: 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 WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Discover Communications operates as a non-fiction media company worldwide.�The company recently released earning that left investors happy.�The stock has been trending higher over the last couple of years and is currently trading at highs for the year.Earnings and revenue figures have been steadily growing so investors have been very satisfied. Relative to its peers and sector, Discover Communications has been an under-performer leader, year-to-date. Look for Discover Communications to continue to OUTPERFORM.

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  If the market's had a great year in 2013, Discovery Communications (DISCA) has managed to do one better. Shares of the $30 billion TV broadcaster have rallied almost 32% year-to-date, stomping the performance of the S&P 500 by a wide margin.

  Still, investors hate this stock right now. With a short interest ratio of 10.7, it would take short sellers more than two weeks of buying at current volume levels to cover their positions.

  Discovery owns a handful of international cable TV channels, including the namesake Discovery Channel, TLC, Science Channel and Animal Planet, and positions in properties such as Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network, launched in 2011. Discovery's niche positioning gives it some big benefits -- the firm's channels focus on topics such as science, technology and history, and they're able to sell more targeted advertising as a result. That's helped push the firm's net margins far above those of more conventional network broadcasters.

  Discovery's channels are only part of the story. Content is king in the broadcast business, and so Discovery's 100,000 hour video library provides the firm with an extremely valuable asset -- especially now that streaming video firms such as Amazon.com (AMZN) and Netflix (NFLX) are falling all over themselves to license content.

  DISCA has some tailwinds at its back right now, and its hefty short interest gives it the potential to pop this summer.

• [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).

Top 5 Media Stocks To Invest In 2014: 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 Rich Smith]

  Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So, Comcast (CMCSA), consider yourself flattered, because Time Warner Cable (TWC) is copying off your homework. A couple of weeks ago, we told you about Comcast's "Great New Secret Cable Plan" to try to halt the exodus of subscribers from its services. The Comcast plan allows subscribers to sign up for: A menu of 45 or so of the most-watched, most useful cable channels The premium pay-TV channel HBO -- plus included HBO GO service for mobile devices High-speed Internet access at speeds up to 25 Mbps A subscription to XFINITY Streampix, Comcast's service for streaming video of complete seasons of popular television shows from recent years past... ... all for the low, low price of just $40 or $50 a month (depending on location). The plan was "secret" because Comcast didn't make much of an effort -- or really effort -- to publicize it. There's hardly even a mention of the plan on the company's website. In other words, it seems like Comcast would prefer to keep the new plan hush-hush so you continue paying for one of their more expensive bundles. However, word of Comcast's under-the-radar new plan get out -- nearly 5,500 DailyFinance readers printed, emailed, commented on, Tweeted, or Facebooked our story on Comcast's "Internet Plus" bundle last month. So Comcast competitor Time Warner did what any good competitor does: It copied the model and, this week, began offering a similar plan of its own: Dubbed "Starter TV with HBO," Time Warner's plan is an even more slimmed-down version of Comcast's idea. It features: "20+" cable channels, including the five biggies -- ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and PBS HBO and HBO GO and... well, actually, that's about it. At $30 a month, Time Warner handily undercuts Comcast's Internet Plus offer on price. And yet, it's hard not to wonder if customers aren't still overpaying. For one thing, Time Warner's Starter TV with HBO offer

• [By CNBC]

  Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Time Warner Cable's flirtation with potential merger suitors may include Comcast, which is seeking advice on possible regulatory hurdles if it should pursue a bid, sources told CNBC on Friday. Comcast (CMCSA) (CMCSK), the parent company of CNBC, is not in active discussions on deal terms with Time Warner Cable (TWC), these sources say, but is asking for guidance on antitrust and telecommunications-related issues. According to people familiar with the matter, TWC has made it clear that if it should sell itself, Comcast would be its preferred buyer. These people add that Comcast has been quietly mulling a merger with TWC for some time. The cable operator is on the verge of a bid from Charter Communications (CHTR), according to The Wall Street Journal, which said Charter is near an agreement with banks for the funds to make that offer. Analysts, however, say Time Warner's needs may be better suited with Comcast. "The synergies are very real, and Comcast would be a better fit," said Craig Moffett, founder and senior analyst at MoffettNathanson. He said that while the Department of Justice's anti-trust requirements may not pose an insurmountable challenge, the more stringent litmus test might come from the Federal Communications Commission.

• [By Jonathan Berr]

  DirecTV added 139,000 new subscribers in the quarter — the most since 2011, thanks to refugees from Time Warner Cable (TWC) and CBS (CBS) fee dispute. Time Warner, the second-largest cable company, was the clear loser in the two-week blackout. It lost 304,000 video customers in the quarter, almost double what analysts expected.

• [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

  What happens if the federal government kills the proposed combination of Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) and Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA)? Nothing. Cable service will remain poor. Customer satisfaction with cable companies will remain awful. Attempts to raise rates and cut cable speeds will continue.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Invest In 2014: Gannett Co. Inc. (GCI)

Gannett Co., Inc. operates as a media and marketing solutions company in the United States and internationally. Its Publishing segment publishes 83 U.S. daily newspapers with affiliated online sites, including USA TODAY, a national, general-interest daily newspaper; USATODAY.com; USA WEEKEND, a magazine supplement for newspapers; Clipper Magazine, a direct mail advertising magazine; bi-weekly Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek periodicals; and military and defense newspapers. This segment also includes 17 paid-for daily newspapers; approximately 200 weekly newspapers, magazines, and trade publications; and approximately 600 non-daily publications, as well as involves in commercial printing, newswire, marketing, and data services operations. The company?s Digital segment owns and operates CareerBuilder, an employment Web site, which offers online recruitment and career advancement services for employers, employees, recruiters, and job seekers; ShopLocal, which provides multicha nnel shopping and advertising services; Planet Discover, which offers hosted search and advertising services; PointRoll, which provides digital marketing services and technology; and Schedule Star, which offers scheduling solution for high school athletic departments. Its Broadcasting segment operates 23 television stations and affiliated Web sites, which produce local programming, such as news, sports, and entertainment programming. This segment also includes Captivate Network, a national news and entertainment network that delivers programming and full-motion video advertising on video screens located in elevators of office towers and select hotel lobbies in North America. The company has strategic business relationships with online affiliates, including Classified Ventures, ShopLocal.com, Topix, and Metromix LLC, as well as strategic marketing agreement with Microsoft. Gannett Co., Inc. was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By The Part-time Investor]

  The following stocks met the criteria in January of 2008 and were put into the initial portfolio:

  Abbot Labs (ABT)Advanced data processing (ADP)Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC)Bank of America (BAC)BB&T Corp. (BBT)Bemis Company (BMS)Anheuser Busch (BUD)The Chubb Corporation (CB)Clorox (CLX)Comerica Inc. (CMA)Diebold Inc. (DBD)Emerson Electronics (EMR)First Dollar Corp. (FDO)First Third BanCorp. (FITB)Gannett Co, Inc. (GCI)General Electric (GE)Hershey (HSY)Illinois Tools Works (ITW)Johnson and Johnson (JNJ)Leggett and Platt (LEG)Eli Lilly (LLY)La-Z-Boy (LZB)McDonald's (MCD)Marsh and Ilsley (MI)M&T Bancorp (MTB)PepsiCo (PEP)Pfizer (PFE)Procter & Gamble (PG)Pentair Ltd. (PNR)Regions Financial Corp. (RF)Rohm and Haas (ROH)RPM International (RPM)Sherwin Williams (SHW)Sysco Corp. (SYY)UDR Inc. (UDR)

  Historical quotes were taken from Yahoo Finance. $10,000 was put into each position, to the nearest whole share, so a total of $349,262.89 was invested. From 1/15/08 through 5/16/13 all dividends were reinvested back into the stock that paid them. If a dividend cut was announced, that stock was sold on the ex-div date of the new, lower dividend.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

   

  Gannett (GCI) operates as a media and marketing solutions company in the U.S. and internationally. This stock closed up 5% at $29.08 in Monday's trading session.

   

  Monday's Volume: 4.65 million
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 2.28 million
  
  Volume % Change: 125%

   

  From a technical perspective, GCI ripped sharply higher here above-average volume. This spike higher on Monday is quickly pushing shares of GCI within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if GCI manages to take out its 200-day moving average of $29.37 to some more resistance at $29.80 with high volume.

   

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in GCI as long as it's trending above Monday's intraday low of $27.85 or above $27 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 2.28 million shares. If that breakout gets underway soon, then GCI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at its 50-day moving average of $31.47 to $32.90. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give GCI a chance to tag $34.

   

• [By Sue Chang]

  Gannett Co. (GCI) �is projected to post earnings of 41 cents a share in the third quarter.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Earnings reports expected on Monday include:

  Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.48 on revenue of $1.10 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.13 on revenue of $905.09 million. Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $1.19 on revenue of $2.07 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $1.21. W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.71 on revenue of $1.57 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.61 on revenue of $1.42 billion. Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.44 on revenue of $1.27 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.56 on revenue of $1.31 billion.

  Economics