Today’s Research Reports on Stocks to Watch: Comcast and Palo Alto Networks

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2018 / Comcast shares were plunging deep into the red as traders learned that the company may have started a bidding war with Twenty-First Century Fox to acquire Sky Networks. Shares of Palo Alto Networks saw green after reporting its second quarter results earlier in the week that beat on both the top and bottom line.

RDI Initiates Coverage on:

Comcast Corporation
https://rdinvesting.com/report/?ticker=CMCSA

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
https://rdinvesting.com/report/?ticker=PANW

Comcast’s shares closed down 7.38% on Tuesday with nearly 69 million shares traded. The stock was one of the biggest decliners on the NASDAQ exchange. A bidding war with Twenty-First Century Fox for Sky Networks is the cause for shares dropping yesterday. Fox has been wanting to buy out the remaining stake in Sky that it does not own since December of 2016. This is 61% that Fox is trying to get its hands on. Disney has been after Fox in order to get its hands on Sky. Now Comcast comes along and offers a bid for Sky that values the company 16% higher than Fox’s offer, however, settling for just “50 per cent plus one share”. The deal, if successful, would value Sky at $31 billion and would cost Comcast $15.5 billion in an all cash deal. If the company succeeds in acquiring Sky, it would double the company’s subscribers and expand the company internationally. It would also make Comcast the world’s biggest pay-TV operator according to analysts at Macquarie.

Access RDI’s Comcast Corporation Research Report at:
https://rdinvesting.com/report/?ticker=CMCSA

Palo Alto Networks’ shares closed up 2.32% on about 6.5 million shares traded on Tuesday. The stock soared to a new high of $179.15 during intra-day trading after reporting its second quarter financial report the day before. Shares had already been soaring in after-hours trading on Monday. Traders were excited to learn that the company had reported better than expected results. Both earnings and revenues beat analysts’ expectations as well as the company’s outlook. Palo Alto reported revenue of $542.4 million, which was ahead of the $525.4 million expected and a growth of 28% year over year. The company reported non-GAAP net income of $91.5 million or 97 cents. This included a $10.6 million or 11 cents benefit from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Excluding the benefit, the company reported non-GAAP net income of $80.9 million, or 86 cents a share. This was a 36.5% YOY growth. It was also a lot higher than the 79 cents that analysts had expected. Looking ahead, the company expects revenues in the range of $2.190-$2.220 billion for fiscal 2018. This would be a 24-26% YOY growth and surpasses the $2.17 billion expected by analysts.

Access RDI’s Palo Alto Networks, Inc. Research Report at:
https://rdinvesting.com/report/?ticker=PANW

Our Actionable Research on Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NYSE: PANW) can be downloaded free of charge at Research Driven Investing.

Research Driven Investing

We are committed to providing relevant and actionable information for the self-directed investor. Our research is reputed for being a leader in trusted, in-depth analysis vital for informed strategic trading decisions. The nimble investor can leverage our analysis and collective expertise to execute a disciplined approach to stock selection.

RDInvesting has not been compensated; directly or indirectly; for producing or publishing this document.

Disclaimer: This article is written by an independent contributor of RDInvesting.com and Nadia Noorani, a CFA® charter holder, has provided necessary guidance in preparing the document templates. RDInvesting.com is neither a registered broker dealer nor a registered investment advisor. For more information please read our full disclaimer at www.rdinvesting.com/disclaimer.

CONTACT

For any questions, inquiries, or comments reach out to us directly at:

Address:

Research Driven Investing, Unit #901 511 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10011

Email:

contact@rdinvesting.com

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

SOURCE: RDInvesting.com

ReleaseID: 491174