Investing
Big Media and Telecom Are Hot: 5 Dividend Stocks to Buy Now
November 1, 2016 10:05 am
Last Updated: January 13, 2020 1:40 am
While most of Wall Street has yawned at the recent deal involving a big telecom and a media giant, the bottom line is that there is a growing interest in companies that deliver services for communication to add content. The combination of the two, and the convergence of everything streaming, has kicked off a potential revolution that could produce numerous mega-deals over the next couple of years.
A recent Stifel research piece makes the case that between the big backup in telecom companies’ stock prices and the attractive content that the big media companies can offer, investors may have a solid opportunity now to buy top stock that also pay outstanding dividends. These five companies look extremely attractive, and they all pay great dividends.
AT&T
This company has had an incredible run this year but is off over 10% in less than six weeks. AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is the world’s largest provider of pay TV, with TV customers in the United States and 11 Latin American countries. In the United States, the AT&T wireless network has the nation’s self-described strongest 4G LTE signal and most reliable 4G LTE. The company also helps businesses worldwide serve their customers better with mobility and highly secure cloud solutions.
With its shares trading at a very cheap 14.3 times estimated 2016 earnings, the company continues to expand its user base, and strong product introductions from smartphone vendors have not only driven traffic but increased device financing plans.
AT&T has several major catalysts that likely will drive strong network traffic demand: DirecTV Now and Mobile, “Data-Free TV” for DirecTV/U-verse subscribers and increasing penetration of unlimited data plans. Many on Wall Street believe that the company is well-positioned to address ongoing traffic requirements, with additional LTE capacity available and the ability to leverage small cell deployments.
The company announced a deal to Buy Time Warner for about $80 billion, which translates to about $105 to $110 per share. Two years ago, Time Warner rebuffed a takeover bid from 21st Century Fox at $85 per share. The chatter started on Thursday and carried into Friday, with a deal being announced over the weekend. The stock was hammered on Friday, after already being knocked down as the fear of rising rates hit the telecoms.
AT&T investors receive a 5.33 % dividend. The Wall Street consensus price objective is $41. Shares closed Monday at $36.79.
CBS
This large cap broadcaster has bounced nicely off the lows and still could be an incredible value. CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) may be in the best position of all the broadcast networks with an outstanding prime time lineup, solid sports franchises like the NFL, March Madness College Basketball, The Masters and other top programming, the venerable network could once again be an outstanding stock for shareholders.
The company is leading in the spring ratings and is poised to continue the network’s programming dominance in 2016. The broadcasting giant is now in the midst of a significant stock repurchase process, and many on Wall Street expect the company to shrink its share base by around 25% over the next two years.
Network advertising and strong content licensing revenue drove the upside in the third-quarter earnings, which beat consensus estimates despite a slight revenue miss. Similar to the broadcasting giant’s rivals, many analysts expect CBS to look to book content licensing more evenly over this year and into 2017. Many on Wall Street also see the possibility of the company reuniting with Viacom.
CBS shareholders receive a 1.27% dividend. The consensus target price is $63. Shares closed Monday at $56.62.
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