Dish Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH) has a median target price of $32.00 from 18 brokers. Shares are trading today at $24.11, for an implied gain of $7.89, or 33%. Dish Network’s forward P/E is 8.38 and the company pays no dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $17.95-$32.56, and at today’s price that’s about 34% above its 52-week low, posted earlier this morning, and 26% below the 52-week high. Dish reports e
arnings next week, and the consensus estimates for EPS and revenue are $0.73 and $3.65 billion, respectively. The EPS estimate has risen since the end of last quarter, but Dish’s subscriber base generally claims lower-income households, which would be among the first to let subscription service go if the economy does not pick up.
DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV) has a median target price of $55.00 from 19 brokers. Shares are trading today at $45.58, for an implied gain of $9.42, or 21%. DIRECTV’s forward P/E is 10.78 and the company pays no dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $39.12-$53.40, and at today’s price that’s about 17% above its 52-week low, posted earlier this morning, and 15% below the 52-week high. DIRECTV reports earnings on Thursday, and analysts are looking for EPS of $0.73 on revenue of $6.74 billion. The EPS estimate has fallen from $0.75 in the past month, as worries about subscriber numbers surface. The company’s pure distribution model could be a weakness going forward.
Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA) has a median target price of $57.00 from 28 brokers. Shares are trading today at $53.99, for an implied gain of $3.01, or about 6%. Viacom’s forward P/E is 12.65 and the company pays a dividend yield of 1.8%. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $42.37-$60.90, and at today’s price that’s about 27% above its 52-week low, posted earlier this morning, and 11% below the 52-week high. Viacom is set to report earnings next week and the consensus estimates are EPS of $1.03 on revenue of $3.74 billion. The stock is near its target price, reflecting the relative strength of the content makers compared with the distribution companies.
Liberty Starz Group (NASDAQ: LSTZA) has a median target price of $91.00 from 11 brokers. Shares are trading today at $67.66, for an implied gain of $23.34, or about 35%. Starz’s forward P/E is 12.16 and the company pays no dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $59.01-$81.36, and at today’s price that’s about 15% above its 52-week low, posted earlier this morning, and 17% below the 52-week high. Liberty Starz is expected to post EPS of $1.08 for the third quarter, a full dime above estimates at the end of last quarter. The company has shown a willingness to play hardball with Netflix and other distribution channels, which is good for Liberty provided their content quality stays high.
Discovery Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) has a median target price of $46.00 from 20 brokers. Shares are trading today at $43.24, for an implied gain of $2.76, or about 6%. Discovery’s forward P/E is 15.3 and the company pays no dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $34.75-$45.81, and at today’s price that’s about 24% above its 52-week low, posted earlier this morning, and 6% below the 52-week high. Discovery reports earnings tomorrow, and is expected to post EPS of $0.55 on revenue of $1.01 billion. The company recently hired an experienced on-line executive to handle distribution of its programming through streaming outlets like Netflix and Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN). This is another one that could bust through its target price and 52-week high, especially if the quarterly report is good.
Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) has a median target price of $66.00 from 9 brokers. Shares are trading today at $46.95, for an implied gain of $19.05, or about 41%. Charter’s forward P/E is 32.41 and the company pays no dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $31.75-$61.15, and at today’s price that’s about 48% above its 52-week low, posted earlier this morning, and 23% below the 52-week high. Charter is expected to post an EPS loss of -$0.10 when it reports earnings tomorrow. Revenue is expected to come in at $1.8 billion. As a pure-play distribution company, Charter shares the disadvantages of Dish and DIRECTV.
