IHCL Acquires Majority Stake in Clarks Hotels Operators
ITC Hotels plans to surpass 220 hotels by 2030, focusing on furthering its expansion in the luxury and premium hotel segment. At their AGM, the Chairman's opening speech included that they are o
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Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
BNP Paribas in advanced discussions to buy Mercedes-Benz's leasing unit
BNP Paribas is in advanced negotiations to acquire Athlon, the leasing subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group, reported Bloomberg, citing sources. Sources also suggested the deal could be valued at around €1bn ($1.2bn), although they caution that discussions are ongoing and may not necessarily materialise into a deal. The potential acquisition is part of Mercedes-Benz's review of its business operations. Both BNP Paribas and Mercedes-Benz have refrained from commenting on the matter. Earlier this year, the company had previously reached out to prospective buyers to assess interest in Athlon, a division it acquired in 2016 from Rabobank for around €1.1bn. Through its subsidiary Arval, BNP Paribas is already engaged in the vehicle leasing market. Bloomberg News noted that Mercedes-Benz has faced challenges in maintaining profitability amid a cooling demand for its vehicles, particularly in China, and slower growth in Europe. The report added that these issues have been compounded by tariffs introduced by the US on European auto imports, prompting the company to adjust its profit outlook. Last month, Arval extended its partnership with CaixaBank Payments & Consumer, a subsidiary of Spain's CaixaBank, until 2030. This partnership is focused on the development of mobility solutions with an emphasis on sustainability and financial product innovation. The extended tie-up plans to support the transition to cleaner transportation by financing 200,000 vehicles by 2030. The goal is to promote fleet renewal with safer, more eco-friendly vehicles, reducing CO₂ emissions and enhancing air quality in urban areas. "BNP Paribas in advanced discussions to buy Mercedes-Benz's leasing unit" was originally created and published by Motor Finance Online, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is Disney Stock a Magical Buy After Earnings?
Entertainment leader The Walt Disney Company (DIS) recently reported solid profitability gains in its third-quarter results. The company also stands on the cusp of a significant acquisition of the NFL Network. With Q3 results in the rearview and an exciting deal on the way, should investors play DIS stock now? Or should they hold off on buying shares of the entertainment giant? More News from Barchart Why This Cannabis Penny Stock Could Be Wall Street's Next Meme Trade Breakout Apple Stock Is Gaining Momentum, Is AAPL Stock a Buy? Peter Thiel-Backed Bullish Is About to IPO. Should You Buy BLSH Stock? Our exclusive Barchart Brief newsletter is your FREE midday guide to what's moving stocks, sectors, and investor sentiment - delivered right when you need the info most. Subscribe today! About Disney Stock Founded in 1923, the Walt Disney Company is a global leader in the entertainment and media industries. Headquartered in Burbank, California, the company owns iconic brands such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Its operations encompass television broadcasting, film production, merchandise licensing, and digital platforms, including Disney+. The company also runs internationally renowned theme parks and resorts. Disney has a market capitalization of $209 billion. A transformation is underway in Disney's sports segment, with its ESPN subsidiary launching a sports streaming service for customers on Aug. 21. This service brings the full suite of ESPN's network under one umbrella. The launch of the service is timed to coincide with numerous sports events, including the start of the NFL season. This also brings the bombshell news that ESPN would be acquiring the NFL Network, which has nearly 50 million subscribers, and other media assets. The addition of the NFL streaming rights gives the company more leverage for its upcoming sports streaming service. Over the past 52 weeks, DIS stock has gained 34% as the company experiences growth in subscribers. DIS stock reached a 52-week high of $124.69 in late June but is now 8% off that mark. So far this year, the stock is up by nearly 4%. Right now, shares of Disney trade at an attractive valuation. Its price sits at 19.3 times forward earnings, which is lower than the current industry average. Disney's Profits Climbed in the Third Quarter Disney reported robust third-quarter results for fiscal 2025 on Aug. 6. The company's revenue increased by 2% from the prior-year period to $23.65 billion. However, this figure fell just short of the $23.68 billion that Wall Street analysts were expecting. At the heart of the growth was Disney's growing subscriber count in its streaming services and growth in its domestic theme parks segment. The company's total Disney+ subscribers for the quarter were 127.8 million, increasing 1.4% from the prior quarter. This subscriber growth was, in turn, fueled by a 2.5% sequential increase in international subscriber count, while domestic subscriber growth (in the U.S. and Canada) remained flat. Its total Hulu subscriber count grew by 1.5% sequentially to 55.5 million. Disney's direct-to-consumer (DTC) segment's operating income stood at $346 million, representing a significant turnaround from the $19 million operating loss it had reported a year earlier. On top of that, the experiences segment's operating income climbed by 13% year-over-year (YOY) to $2.52 billion. The company also reported gains in its profitability as its operational metrics grew. Adjusted EPS grew by 16% YOY to $1.61, which was higher than the $1.46 per share that Wall Street analysts were expecting for the quarter. For Q4, Disney expects total Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions to increase by more than 10 million compared to the third quarter. The majority of the growth is likely to come from Hulu due to its expanded Charter deal, while the Disney+ subscriber count is expected to grow modestly. For the current fiscal year, Disney expects adjusted EPS to be $5.85, representing an 18% increase from the prior year. Its DTC segment is forecast to report an operating income of $1.30 billion. Wall Street analysts are soundly optimistic about Disney's future earnings. For the current fiscal year, EPS is projected to increase 18.3% annually to $5.88, followed by 10% growth to $6.47 in the next fiscal year. What Do Analysts Think About Disney Stock? In the eyes of Wall Street analysts, Disney remains a sweetheart in the entertainment industry. Recently, Rosenblatt raised its price target on DIS stock from $140 to $141, while maintaining a 'Buy' rating. The price target revision came after the company's Q3 report, with Rosenblatt analysts highlighting its theme park growth. Needham analyst Laura Martin also maintained a 'Buy' rating on DIS stock with a $125 price target. The rating is based on several positive developments, such as Disney's recent profitability gains. Reflecting positive sentiment, Evercore ISI Group analyst Vijay Jayant maintained an 'Outperform" rating, hiking the price target from $134 to $140. Expecting the company to continue its track of sustained earnings growth, Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne raised the price target from $120 to $140 as well, with an unchanged 'Outperform' rating. Disney remains a favorite on Wall Street, with analysts awarding it a consensus 'Strong Buy' rating overall. Of the 28 analysts rating the stock, a majority of 20 analysts rate it a 'Strong Buy,' two analysts suggest a 'Moderate Buy,' and six play it safe with a 'Hold' rating. The consensus price target of $134.52 represents 17% potential upside from current levels. The Street-high price target of $152 indicates 32% potential upside from here. The Bottom Line Disney's operations might be in a growth phase at the moment, with growing subscribers and additions in theme parks, such as the company's planned seventh theme park set to be built in Abu Dhabi. Disney's bottom-line gains are also notable. Therefore, investors may want to consider DIS stock now. On the date of publication, Anushka Dutta did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNET
9 minutes ago
- CNET
Google Wants You to Pick Your Own News Sources for Searches
Perhaps in response to suggestions that its Search functions have been degraded or been usurped by AI summaries that not everybody wants, Google will now let you select news sources to narrow things down. The company said in a blog post this week that it's launching Preferred Sources in the US and India over the next few days, along with a plus icon to the right of Top Stories in searches. Clicking on that plus symbol allows you to add blogs or news outlets. There doesn't appear to be a limit on how many sources you can add. "Once you select your sources, they will appear more frequently in Top Stories or in a dedicated 'From your sources' section on the search results page. You'll still see content from other sites, and can manage your selections at any time," Google said. The new feature is the result of a Labs experiment. Google says that in that version, half of its users added four or more sources. Google offered advice to website publishers and owners on how to direct readers to add their site. Speaking of which, we'd be remiss if we didn't suggest adding CNET to your preferred Google search sources. We hear they do great work. What it means for news sites and their readers News organizations and other information sites have shifted before to cater to Google's search algorithm as well as those on other platforms including Facebook and Instagram. Publishers executed a pivot to video in the 2010s, and in recent years produced more bite-sized content suitable for sharing on platforms such as TikTok. Here's how you get to select your news sources. Google The addition of news preferences might be a double-edged sword, giving you more control over search results while further shutting out some legitimate news publishers as new echo chambers get built. "It's almost like a tone-deaf move by Google in my point of view, because news organizations are already concerned about losing traffic to the AI overviews," said Alex Mahadevan, director of MediaWise at Poynter, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media literacy program. "Now they have to figure out how to get people to pick their source in the source preferences." For bigger news publishers who have a loyal audience, Preferred Sources might prove that audience engagement efforts can pay off. But Mahadevan says it will depend on how willing people are to effectively subscribe to and curate their own news sources list. "I question how many people will actually use it," he said. People may see their own beliefs reinforced, not challenged Publishers who haven't cultivated engaged, loyal followers and don't have the means to steer their audiences might suffer, Mahadevan says. "The thing that does concern me about this is you know for the organizations that may have not done that, it's just going to further erode the amount of Google traffic they get," Mahadevan said. "If way more people want news from Fox News and are choosing Fox News among their source preferences, then that's going to be crowding out other news sites that might need that traffic." As an experiment, Mahadevan says he set Breitbart News Network as a source using the Google Search feature, saying he chose the far-right news source because it has been known to share misinformation. "I started Googling about tariffs and the first thing I see is Breitbart," he said. "So this concerns me also from a media literacy standpoint because I think it might further push people into echo chambers," where they only see beliefs that correspond with those they already hold. "It just seems like a way for people to narrow down their news diet even more via Google Search," Mahadevan said. If SEO, the way that websites have for decades have drawn Google traffic by generating good, relevant content, is effectively out the window, what does that mean for the future of publishing and media? "Is there a strong enough media literacy base for people to make sure they're choosing good legitimate news outlets and a varied variety of news sources?" Mahadevan asked. "I don't know if we're quite there yet."
