WPO Investment Analysis Report & Stock Research, The Washington Post Company

The Washington Post Company (WPO)

WPO Stock Report

2-Year Price History

View Larger WPO Chart
NYSE:WPO
$448.00
(3/19 4:00PM)
-0.4%
Open$452.15 Mkt Cap$3.6 Billion
High$458.16 52Wk High$495.60
Low$446.76 52Wk Low$325.17
Volume61,692 Avg Vol 10D41,900

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WPO Revenue

Cash earnings is the most important factor in our analysis, but it goes without saying that if a company cannot produce sales then there is no ability to generate cash flow. By that logic we look very closely at revenue numbers as our second most important factor in valuing a company's stock. We have established reasonable Price to Sales per share ranges based on historical data of the last 10 years. For, WPO the high and low end of the Price to Sales per share ratios are 2.31x and 1.63x respectively.

Notice that WPO's current Price to Sales per share ratio is 0.91x, which is quite a bit below what we consider a normal Price to Sales ratio for this stock. Given normal conditions and a price of $448.00, WPO is 54% below where we would expect to see it. This will beneficially factor into our final analysis of WPO as it is not often that this stock sinks to these levels.

WPO Cash Earnings

As the old saying goes, "Cash is King!" We look at reported Cash Earnings, but the main emphasis of our analysis involves stripping out non-cash events such as depreciation from our cash earnings analysis. This helps us view the cash flows more clearly. Nevertheless, an analysis of Cash Earnings (both reported and otherwise) is absolutely pivotal to assessing a company's value, and currently WPO is significantly below their historical average multiples of Cash Earnings, as calculated by our proprietary analysis. It is incredibly important to understand that for WPO, the current level of Cash Earnings compared to its historical levels helps identify where WPO is in relation to what the investing community was willing to pay for this level of Cash Earnings in the past. With a historical high Cash Earnings per share ratio of 19.08 and a historical low Cash Earnings per share ratio of 12.78, an investor can relate where value becomes optimal.

So with WPO's current price (latest close of $448.00) and most recent level of Cash Earnings reported, we see significant opportunity from a value perspective. At its current price level, WPO is 38% below its average level of Price to Cash Earnings on a historical basis. This means that investors were willing to pay for a much higher stock price than currently for the same level of Cash in the past, on a relative basis. There are a couple of important things to remember, however. First, value doesn't exist in a vacuum. So if the market doesn't recognize this value, even a great disparity in Price to Cash Earnings cannot force an immediate stock price reaction. Second, patience is key when looking at securities that have reached these levels of Price to Cash Earnings versus their historical norms. So be patient with WPO.

WPO Dividends

While it is not necessary to pay an attractive dividend or a dividend at all, to receive a positive rating from Ockham, we view dividends as an additionally helpful measure in determining the future potential of any company.

In WPO’s case, the estimated annual dividend is $9.00 resulting in a current dividend yield of 2.01%. Similar to our review of Sales and Cash Earnings per share, we evaluate dividend yields from WPO against the historic high and low levels over the past 10 years. The highest dividend yield from WPO over this period was 2.86% while the lowest dividend yield was 0.70% WPO has shown confidence by hiking up the dividend yield to 12.92% above the historical median.

Peer Comparison

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The Washington Post Company Industry Grouping

(3/19/2010)
Company Ticker Market Cap (Ml) Latest
Price
Price/Cash Earnings Price/Sales 5-Yr. Rev.
Growth Rate
5-Yr.
Avg. ROE.
Current 10-Yr. Range* Current 10-Yr. Range*
Peer Company Averages (not including WPO) 7.21 1.62 » 15.46 1.56 0.52 » 4.48 4.77% 7.11%
*10 year range does not include current year values
Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. IPG $4.2 Billion $8.61 12.85 2.77 » 33.63 0.69 0.17 » 2.67 -1.15% 6.05%
Gannett Co., Inc. GCI $3.8 Billion $16.06 6.37 0.72 » 16.91 0.68 0.08 » 3.64 -5.33% 11.36%
Liberty Global, Inc. Class A LBTYA $3.8 Billion $27.79 2.49 0.70 » 8.88 0.69 0.22 » 3.14 33.18% 1.98%
The Washington Post Company WPO $3.6 Billion $448.00 10.00 6.72 » 21.84 0.91 0.61 » 2.90 6.73% 7.22%
Dreamworks Animation SKG, Inc. DWA $3.1 Billion $41.18 7.40 2.99 » 11.35 5.14 2.07 » 9.22 -7.63% 12.22%
Liberty Media Corp. New- Capital Common Series A LCAPA $3.1 Billion $34.39 6.95 0.90 » 6.54 0.59 0.08 » 3.73 n/a 3.96%
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The most recent Stocks on Financial TV & Blogs from impactful financial news sources
WSJ Marketbeat

WSJ Marketbeat Discussed Dividends and WPO

For income investors, dividend news is obviously important. WPO's dividends were discussed recently on WSJ Marketbeat.

At present, Ockham has a valuation stance of Undervalued on WPO, as we could see significant price appreciation based on current fundamentals like cash earnings and revenue. Interestingly, overall sentiment looks bearish according to the Motley Fool's CAPS survey, as most of their users see The Washington Post Company underperforming. In comparison to the other stocks that we follow, The Washington Post Company has seen more discussion in relation to its normal ranking among the group. Be aware that the news sources we track are focusing on this stock more often these days.

“… bailed out banks still holding aid money that failed to pay a quarterly dividend to the government hit 82 in February according to a report in the WASHINGTON POST. …”

Four Pillars

Four Pillars Has News on WPO

As always, the latest news on WPO is available to Ockham clients through RazorWire, and it was mentioned recently on Four Pillars.

Based on our methodology, The Washington Post Company should hold some appeal to value investors as we view it as Undervalued. We noticed recently that in comparison to all other stocks we analyze in the news; WPO has received less coverage from the financial media in business television and blogs. While bearish sentiment on a stock is not always a bad thing, it is something you need to be aware of. The Motley Fool survey of crowd sentiment shows that many investors believe this stock will underperform.

“… A WASHINGTON POST article illustrated this difference with the example “Would you rather lose a $10 ticket, and have to buy another one to replace it, or lose a $10 bill on your ... …”

Global Connections

News on WPO From the Pundits on Global Connections

Staying informed on the news is invaluable for investors, and RazorWire has captured a recently discussion on WPO from Global Connections.

The crowd at The Motley Fool does not like WPO and believes that it will Underperform. We consider WPO as Undervalued at the current price of $451.55. According to our methodology, this stock has appreciation potential based on current fundamentals which only improves if earnings or revenue surprise. As we analyze the results from RazorWire, one thing we do is rank each stock in terms of amount of news coverage. Recently, WPO has been less covered in the news compared to the rest of our universe of stocks.

“… george WASHINGTON POST and set for many artists, but probably the most famous was dilbert stewart, who paid him from life on three occasions. > > …”

Zero Hedge

Notice a Discussion Covering WPO Appeared Recently in the Financial News

The latest news from business television and influential blogs is always available through Ockham's RazorWire, and this news is in relation to The Washington Post Company.

Based on our methodology, The Washington Post Company should hold some appeal to value investors as we view it as Undervalued. While bearish sentiment on a stock is not always a bad thing, it is something you need to be aware of. The Motley Fool survey of crowd sentiment shows that many investors believe this stock will underperform. We noticed recently that in comparison to all other stocks we analyze in the news; WPO has received less coverage from the financial media in business television and blogs.

“… The WASHINGTON POST reports that the next "Lehman-sized" event may be just around the corner, as the European Commission is now supporting a ban on trading sovereign CDS. …”

Imus In The Morning

RazorWire has Detected News About WPO on Imus In The Morning

The latest news on Imus In The Morning in regards to WPO came through on RazorWire recently.

The crowd at The Motley Fool does not like WPO and believes that it will Underperform. We consider WPO as Undervalued at the current price of $450.17. According to our methodology, this stock has appreciation potential based on current fundamentals which only improves if earnings or revenue surprise. As we analyze the results from RazorWire, one thing we do is rank each stock in terms of amount of news coverage. Recently, WPO has been less covered in the news compared to the rest of our universe of stocks.

“… imus: and one of my favorite media critics for "the WASHINGTON POST" which is why we would ask the question and tend to forget that, we think he's another political pundit, he's ... …”

Fox Business

Bullish/Bearish: Sentiment and WPO Discussed on Fox Business

Sentiment and investors' opinions on WPO were covered on Fox Business recently and RazorWire has captured the news segment.

At present, Ockham has a valuation stance of Undervalued on WPO, as we could see significant price appreciation based on current fundamentals like cash earnings and revenue. When taking into account the amount of news coverage each stock normally sees as a percentage of the total, The Washington Post Company has actually sunk a bit in comparison to the others. Interestingly, overall sentiment looks bearish according to the Motley Fool's CAPS survey, as most of their users see The Washington Post Company underperforming.

“… Jeff, I want you to stay here because according to a new report from the WASHINGTON POST, some of the toyota employees working on fixing the problems are actually former ... …”

Squawk Box

Squawk Box Has the Latest News on WPO

News has broken via the television and viral blogs regarding WPO, so investors should take an interest in learning what was said.

As we analyze the results from RazorWire, one thing we do is rank each stock in terms of amount of news coverage. Recently, WPO has been less covered in the news compared to the rest of our universe of stocks. We consider WPO as Undervalued at the current price of $450.53. According to our methodology, this stock has appreciation potential based on current fundamentals which only improves if earnings or revenue surprise. The crowd at The Motley Fool does not like WPO and believes that it will Underperform.

“… there was a WASHINGTON POST editorial yesterday that played off his comments. Basically says, warren buffett says there needs to be a plan c and we couldn't agree move. > > …”

Naked Capitalism

Delevoping Economies and Where WPO Fits In on Naked Capitalism

There is no doubt that the emerging markets are where the growth is right now. The latest news mention of WPO on Naked Capitalism was in relation to emerging markets.

Interestingly, overall sentiment looks bearish according to the Motley Fool's CAPS survey, as most of their users see The Washington Post Company underperforming. At present, Ockham has a valuation stance of Undervalued on WPO, as we could see significant price appreciation based on current fundamentals like cash earnings and revenue. When taking into account the amount of news coverage each stock normally sees as a percentage of the total, The Washington Post Company has actually sunk a bit in comparison to the others.

“… bond sales Guardian (hat tip reader Steve L) Strategic defaults on homes on the rise SF Gate (hat tip reader conryw) High standards at The WASHINGTON POST Glenn Greenwald, Salon ... …”

Imus In The Morning

RazorWire has Detected News About WPO on Imus In The Morning

The latest news from Imus In The Morning on WPO is available through Ockham's news analytics platform RazorWire.

Based on our methodology, The Washington Post Company should hold some appeal to value investors as we view it as Undervalued. Ranking all stocks in terms of news coverage offers some interesting data. In the case of WPO, it is getting significantly more attention in recent news coverage than we are used to seeing. While bearish sentiment on a stock is not always a bad thing, it is something you need to be aware of. The Motley Fool survey of crowd sentiment shows that many investors believe this stock will underperform.

“… president obama's advisors are nearing a recommendation according to the front page story above the fold in "the WASHINGTON POST," that khalid shaikh mohammed, the ... …”

The Call

The Latest News for WPO Was Just on The Call

The latest news from The Call on WPO is available through Ockham's news analytics platform RazorWire.

When looking at our entire coverage universe and ranking stocks by the attention they receive on RazorWire, it is clear that The Washington Post Company has been talked about more than normal recently. The crowd at The Motley Fool does not like WPO and believes that it will Underperform. We consider WPO as Undervalued at the current price of $436.50. According to our methodology, this stock has appreciation potential based on current fundamentals which only improves if earnings or revenue surprise.

“… And check out the numbers here, it's the third highest price index behind google and "the WASHINGTON POST. " it also was interesting because. …”

View All The Washington Post Company Stock News

Key Fundamentals

WPO - The Washington Post Company Fundamentals
Price (3/19 4:00PM) $448.00
Volume (3/19 4:00PM) 61,692
Last Close Price $449.58
10 Day Average Volume 41,900
13 Week Price Range $403.30 - $459.00
52 Week Price Range $325.17 - $495.60
LTM Revenue $4.6 Billion
 
Shares Outstanding (12/2009) 9.3 Million
Market Capitalization $3.6 Billion
Shares Held By Institutions 7.0 Million
Institutional Holders 328
% Shares Held By Institutions 86%
Earnings Per Share (EPS) $9.78
P/E Ratio 45.80
Book Value Per Share $317.69
 
Gross Margin 56.20%
Annual Dividend 9.00
Dividend Yield 2.00%
Beta 0.80
Fiscal Year Ends December

About The Washington Post Company

The Washington Post Company is considered to operate in the Services sector. They specifically operate in the Publishing - Newspapers business segment contained within the Media industry.

The Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified education and media company in the United States and internationally.