Q. I'm a fairly aggressive investor and own a few media stocks,including Time Warner Inc. What is the outlook for the company? -R.A., via the Internet
A. There's always plenty going on at this media and entertainmentgiant, though not all of it has benefited shareholders.
While "Million Dollar Baby" hasn't been the box-office smash that"Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" was a year ago, theboxing film directed by Clint Eastwood did take home four majorawards on Oscar night. "The Aviator," another of the company's films,also was a big winner.
Meanwhile, nagging corporate problems are being graduallyresolved.
The firm, without admitting or denying guilt, agreed to pay $300million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that itinflated AOL advertising revenue and overstated total Internetsubscribers. This money is to be distributed to investors harmed byits actions. In addition, the firm's latest annual report includesrestated financial results for the period from 2001 through 2003.
Time Warner (TWX) shares are down 10 percent this year, followinglast year's 8 percent gain. The company doubled its net income in thefourth quarter, although sales were up less than 2 percent. There'sbeen strong growth in online advertising.
Recent news that Viacom wants to split into two separate unitsrevived interest in Time Warner stock based on hopes that it mightconsider something similar. However, management responded that AOL isa growth asset it wants to keep.
The AOL and Time Warner merger has been one of the most reviled ofall time, yet the company remains a powerhouse.
AOL, even with an eroding subscriber base, is the world's largestInternet service provider. Time Warner Cable, though facing anonslaught from satellite video, is the second-largest cable operator.CNN, TNT, the TBS Superstation, HBO and Cinemax are famous brands,along with magazines such as Time, People and Sports Illustrated.
The consensus recommendation Time Warner shares is a "buy,"according to the First Call research firm. That consists of seven"strong buys," nine "buys" and eight "holds."
Its expected growth rate of 10 percent this year is the samepredicted for the broadcasting and cable industry. Next year'sexpected growth rate of 17 percent compares to the 18 percentforecast industrywide. The five-year annualized growth rate of 11percent for the company trails the 12 percent expected of its peers.
Q. What's the easiest way to invest in individual foreign stocks? -V.H., via the Internet
A. About 1,500 foreign stocks are available to retail investorshere as American Depositary Receipts, or ADRs.
Nearly one-third of those ADRs trade on the NYSE, AMEX or NASDAQ,and they must comply with generally accepted accounting principles,Sarbanes-Oxley disclosure rules and requirements of the exchange. Youbuy them as you would any other stock on the exchange.
The rest, even though they may not necessarily represent smallcompanies, trade over the counter as pink sheets and needn't meetthose financial requirements.
"The ADR basically serves to 'Americanize' foreign investingbecause not all brokers could help you directly access foreignmarkets and may charge a higher commission to do so," explained JulioLugo, vice president of broker and institutional marketing for TheBank of New York. "In addition, with ADRs the dividends are in U.S.dollars, all the information you receive is in English, and tradingtakes place during regular U.S. trading hours."
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