ITV Live Discussion

jackdawsson 11 Dec 2018

Long at 149.55 Nige_co: With a share price at 126p, ITV has a P/E of 8.3, and a dividend yield of 6.3%. ITV are too cheap IMHO, and look vulnerable to a takeover bid. Hi Nige, I’m bound to agree. A few sectors are being sold off almost daily down to multi-year lows for reasons that have less to do with any stock’s fundamentals, but nearly everything to do with increasingly negative sentiment & the political chaos around Brexit. Markets seem to be pricing in a “no deal” disorderly Brexit. But they often overreact in either direction. Now on the bearish side as fear of worse to come dominates. In this climate, no surprise that my longs have once again been badly mistimed. But once again I shall hold on doggedly for targets as I did before. A 5-year chart shows a stock that seems oversold even by levels seen in 2016 after the Referendum. So we should be very close to finding support at these levels. - Regards. Screen Shot 2018-12-11 at 09.56.55.png994x821 53.2 KB

Nige_co 11 Dec 2018

Long at 149.55 With a share price at 126p, ITV has a P/E of 8.3, and a dividend yield of 6.3%. ITV are too cheap IMHO, and look vulnerable to a takeover bid.

jackdawsson 03 Dec 2018

Long at 149.55 jackdawsson: First of 2 longs, a 2nd if a few pence lower seen. Reasons general & technical. ITV in a recent tight trading range with support not far below. Added a 2nd long at 145.49. Reasons: SP just above support levels &, like many other UK stocks, it’s being dragged down by negative sentiment around Brexit. Could well go lower in this climate, but one never buys the exact lows (bar from luck) & for me it’s a firm hold until recovery. - GLA.

Nige_co 30 Nov 2018

Long at 149.55 Hi Jack, Thanks for your reply. I totally agree with your comments, and also feel that the sooner Brexit is sorted out, one way or another, the better, as we know markets hate uncertainty. I intend holding on to ITV for the inevitable recovery in the share price. I’m also not ruling out a bid from Mr. Malone once he gets his hands on the Vodafone wad of cash, around May 2019. GL, Nige.

jackdawsson 30 Nov 2018

Long at 149.55 Hi Nige, Thanks & I gladly reciprocate in kind. Hence I’ve kept in touch with comments here even when not involved. Good to be trading ITV again, be it with less frequency than before. As for the currently low SP level: though it seems simplistic to put it down to increasing Brexit uncertainties, for it isn’t the only headwind, that one looming, large issue currently affects sentiment across a few sectors in the FTSE. IMO, there’s little question that it’s also hit confidence in stocks like ITV as it’s likely to affect future revenues for who knows how long. If not for that, we’d be higher. But with Christmas approaching, I still think it’s an optimum time to be in this stock, mindful that the result & consequences of the Parliamentary vote on 11th December could propel things in either direction for a number of FTSE stocks. Interesting times, to say the least. - Regards & GL.

Nige_co 30 Nov 2018

Long at 149.55 Hi Jack, Welcome back on board ITV. Your input is always most welcome. Regards. Nige

jackdawsson 28 Nov 2018

Buy at 149.55 First of 2 longs, a 2nd if a few pence lower seen. Reasons general & technical. ITV in a recent tight trading range with support not far below. Though Brexit uncertainties affecting sentiment as with much of the FTSE, with Christmas approaching I do see a feasible break-out well past 150 at some not too distant time. Target uncertain, but I’m mindful that 160 has seen a lot of resistance here over recent months & will pay heed to that. PS: A welcome return for me in trading this again after a hiatus & many previous good gains, partly as VOD’s recovery has released plenty of free margin. - GLA. Screen Shot 2018-11-28 at 12.01.19.png993x655 20.6 KB

El_Kel 27 Nov 2018

Director buys Couple of modest buys by directors. Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 17.37.59.png1232x557 63 KB [link]

Nige_co 08 Nov 2018

ITV takeover offer “wouldn’t be surprising” at current valuation, says analyst [link] The broadcaster’s content library means it has a bundle of assets that could place it in high demand as competition drives consolidation in the media and telecoms markets Media analyst at City broker Shore Capital, Roddy Davidson, said it “wouldn’t be surprising” if ITV PLC (LON:ITV) received a takeover approach at its current valuation level. Shares in the FTSE 100 broadcaster were among the worst performers in the index at lunchtime, dropping 5% to 146.5p after it said TV advertising revenue was “softening” in the fourth quarter amid an uncertain economic environment. READ: ITV weak as it expects softening in fourth quarter advertising, although nine-month performance in line With the traditional revenue streams seemingly being buffeted by the twin storms of Brexit and the shift to online, many will be wondering what the next move will be for chief executive Carolyn McCall and her recently-appointed chief financial officer Chris Kennedy. New CFO to stave off takeover? Kennedy previously served under McCall at budget airliner easyJet PLC (LON:EZJ) between 2010 and 2015, during which time the pair helped propel the firm to the FTSE 100 and quadruple its share price. Given the impressive record, McCall may be hoping that the two of them can perform a similar turnaround for ITV amid rumours it could be the target for content-hungry conglomerates. However, Davidson doesn’t think the appointment is linked to a possible takeover. “They’ve got a highly qualified, appropriate looking successor which will be good for the business on an ongoing basis,” he says, adding that ITV being taken over will be more to do with competition that is driving consolidation in the media and telecoms sectors. Interest from across the pond While UK entities like telecoms giant BT Group PLC (LON:BT.A) may be hankering after ITV’s content creation arm, Davidson says offers may be more likely to come from US players. He cites US-listed Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA), which already holds a 10% stake in ITV, as having a “starting point if they wish to make a move”. Sky 2.0? Does this mean another Sky-esque bidding war could be in the offing? “ITV has a sizeable international content library … and [the Sky auction] showed that those types of assets are heavily in demand,” Davidson says. “If someone does make a bid, it’s probably going to trigger other interest.”

Nige_co 08 Nov 2018

Daily Mail TV Times The best way for big consumer advertisers to reach a large market in Britain is through ITV. For all the advances in pay-TV, streaming services and the rest this remains ITV’s main competitive advantage. Chief executive Carolyn McCall is concerned that after a 2 per cent uplift in ad revenues in the first nine months, bolstered by the World Cup, commercials could subside in the current quarter as a result of continued uncertainty about the EU negotiations. But what happens, if as expected, there is a deal in the next week? Chancellor Philip Hammond indicated in his Budget speech there could be a double dividend in the shape of higher growth and the release of government funds earmarked for the contingency of the cliff edge. Pent-up demand in the economy could be released and commercials could come flooding back. Moreover, ITV is now protected from the vicissitudes of advertising market by its investment in productions. The markdown of its shares looks overdone. This is Money – 7 Nov 18 ALEX BRUMMER: A retreat too far at Marks & Spencer For long-time Marks & Spencer watchers the retailer’s half-year results are lamentable. Food sales are down 2.9 per cent and clothing and home revenues shrank 1.1 per cent.

Nige_co 07 Nov 2018

Where next for the ITV plc share price after today’s trading statement? Investomania – 7 Nov 18 Where next for the ITV plc share price after today’s trading statement? -... Does ITV plc (LON:ITV) (ITV.L) offer capital growth potential?

Hydrogen_Economy 05 Nov 2018

ITV appoints experienced M&A man as new CFO OK we can take a hint, whether Liberty and Co are reading is a different matter. BOLSAMANIA ITV appoints experienced M&A man as new CFO ITV boss Carolyn McCall has lured former colleague Chris Kennedy from Micro Focus to be her new chief financial officer from the start of February.

Nige_co 03 Nov 2018

Is ITV plc underrated by the stock market? Investomania – 2 Nov 18 Is ITV plc underrated by the stock market? - Investomania Could ITV plc (LON:ITV) (ITV.L) offer investment potential?

Nige_co 01 Nov 2018

Will ITV shares manage to reverse their downward trend? With third quarter results due next Wednesday, can ITV shares reverse their recent downward trend on the back of some positive news? ITV shares have been all over the place in 2018. Opening at £1.65, they plunged to £1.42 by the start of April – nearing a 5 year low – only to rally to a 13 month peak of £1.83 by early July. Since then its performance has been a bit more consistent; sadly for the stock, that’s consistently bad, with ITV shares tumbling to £1.43 by the end of October. ITV PLC now sits at a current trading price of £1.53. There was actually a lot to recommend in July’s half year update A 16% increase in revenue at ITV Studios and a 2% jump in advertising revenues (with a 48% surge online) helped lead to an 8% leap in the total figure to £1.593 billion, with pre-tax profits up 2% to £265 million. This as Love Island and the World Cup – including HUGE numbers for England’s semi-final against Croatia – caused a 9% lift to ITV Family’s share of viewing during the period. The company went on to state that it intends to invest £60 million over the next 3 years, in part offset by cost savings of £35-40 million, with that money largely earmarked for the expansion of its production of programmes and the further development of its ITV Hub streaming service. Basically, anything to further shift the burden away from the difficult advertising market. It’s going to be interesting to see what kind of performance ITV shares manage in something of a more normal quarter, one that doesn’t have the propulsion of a World Cup/Love Island double whammy. The company itself has said it expects total advertising revenue to rise 1% for the 8 months to the end of September, with Q3 ‘broadly flat against a backdrop of continued economic uncertainty’. [link]

Nige_co 02 Oct 2018

When will the ITV plc share price return to 200p? Investomania – 1 Oct 18 When will the ITV plc share price return to 200p? - Investomania Could ITV plc (LON:ITV) (ITV.L) deliver improving share price performance?