News Corp (NWS) Reports Q3 EPS of $0.03 on Revenues of $2.27B

News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS) reported Q3 EPS of $0.03, versus $0.04 reported last year. Revenue for the quarter came in at $2.27 billion, versus $2.46 billion reported last year.

FISCAL 2020 THIRD QUARTER KEY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

• Revenues were $2.27 billion, an 8% decline compared to $2.46 billion in the prior year
• Non-cash impairment charges of $1.1 billion, primarily at Foxtel and News America Marketing, led to a net loss of ($1) billion compared to net income of $23 million in the prior year
• Total Segment EBITDA was $242 million compared to $247 million in the prior year
• Adjusted Revenues declined 4% and Adjusted Total Segment EBITDA increased 1%
• Reported EPS were ($1.24) compared to $0.02 in the prior year – Adjusted EPS were $0.03 compared to $0.04 in the prior year
• Completed the sale of News America Marketing to Charlesbank Capital Partners on May 5th
• Dow Jones saw 20% growth in digital-only subscribers to over 2.5 million, including 15% growth in digital-only subscribers at The Wall Street Journal, while experiencing record traffic across its digital networks

Commenting on the results, Chief Executive Robert Thomson said:

“We are operating in a different, difficult time. Every business and family is facing challenges and our thoughts, in particular, are for those who are suffering deeply and personally from the impact of COVID-19.

Our fiscal third quarter results demonstrate the strength of News Corp and the power of our premium content. We also maintained a robust balance sheet, with $1.4 billion in cash and cash equivalents as of March 31st and an untapped $750 million corporate revolving credit facility, providing a strong foundation for the Company’s future.

Despite the onset of COVID-19, and particularly volatile, adverse currency movements, profitability was relatively stable. Notably, profitability was higher at the News and Information Services segment, fueled by significant digital advertising and subscriber growth at Dow Jones, including The Wall Street Journal, which reached approximately 3 million subscribers in the last week, a new record, with over 2.2 million that are digital-only.

The sale of News America Marketing was completed on May 5th and we are continuing to simplify our Company to highlight the intrinsic value of our core businesses, including the strategic review of our Australian newspaper holdings, focusing on our larger brands and our digital reach.

Clearly the pandemic will have an impact on our results in the Fourth Quarter, but all of our businesses are embarking on cost-cutting programs intended to deal with short-term need but also to ensure that the Company is well-equipped to prosper in a decidedly different business environment after the crisis abates.

There will obviously be an impact on executive compensation, and it is worth noting that bonuses are often the largest cash component for our senior executives. Pay reductions will be led by our Executive Chairman, Rupert Murdoch, who is voluntarily forgoing his entire cash bonus for the current fiscal year, and as Chief Executive I will forgo 75% of my annual cash bonus. The collective cuts in bonuses and other cost initiatives will have a positive impact on profitability and our cash position.”

For earnings history and earnings-related data on News Corp (NWS) click here.

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