Best Media Stocks To Own Right Now

With shares of Boeing (NYSE:BA) trading around $119, is BA an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Boeing is an aerospace company. It focuses primarily on engineering, information technology, research and development, test and evaluation, technology strategy development, environmental remediation management, and intellectual property management. The company operates in five segments: Commercial Airplanes, Boeing Military Aircraft, Network & Space Systems, Global Services & Support, and Boeing Capital Corporation.

Boeing received an $11 billion order for 34 of its 777-9X planes from Deutsche Lufthansa. The German carrier also ordered 25 A350-900 jets worth $8 billion from Boeing�� European rival, Airbus, according to a Reuters report. The new Boeing and Airbus jets will reduce Lufthansa�� fuel costs by 25 percent to help the company better compete with rivals on routes to Asia.

5 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Watch For 2015: Liberty Global Inc.(LBTYA)

Liberty Global, Inc. provides video, broadband Internet, and telephony services primarily in Europe and Chile. The company offers broadband services over cable distribution systems, including video, broadband Internet, and telephony; and video services through direct-to-home satellite, or through multichannel multipoint distribution systems. Its analog video services comprise basic and expanded basic programming; and digital cable services include basic and premium programming, digital video recorders, and high definition programming, as well as pay-per-view programming, such as video-on-demand and near video-on-demand. In addition, the company offers voice-over-Internet-protocol and circuit-switched telephony services, as well as mobile telephony services using third-party networks. Further, it owns programming networks that provide video programming channels to multi-channel distribution systems owned by the company and the third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the com pany owned and operated networks that passed 33,262,100 homes; and served 18,405,500 video subscribers, 8,159,300 broadband Internet subscribers, and 6,225,300 telephony subscribers. Liberty Global, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Webb]

  Kabel Deutschland is a key part of Vodafone�� expansion strategy as the carrier looks for ways to boost revenue and lock in customers with Internet and television offers in addition to wireless service. Kabel Deutschland is the biggest cable company in Germany, Vodafone�� largest market, and had drawn a rival bid from John Malone�� Liberty Global Plc. (LBTYA)

Best Media Stocks To Own Right Now: DIRECTV(DTV)

DIRECTV provides digital television entertainment in the United States and Latin America. The company provides direct-to-home (DTH) digital television services, as well as multi-channel video programming distribution services in the United States. It offers various channels of digital-quality video entertainment and CD-quality audio programming directly to subscribers' homes or businesses, as well as video-on-demand services; and approximately 160 national high-definition television channels and 4 3D channels. The company also provides premium professional and collegiate sports programming, such as the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package, which allows subscribers to view the NFL games. In addition, it offers DTH digital television services in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. The company provides its local and international programming under the DIRECTV and SKY brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 19.2 million subscribers in the United States; and 8.9 million subscribers in Latin America. The company was founded in 1990 and is based in El Segundo, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  AllThings D also reports that bids have to be at least $1 billion, and DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV  ) is said to be ready with a bid of at least that much. Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC  ) , Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO  ) , and the private-equity firms KKR, Guggenheim Digital, and Silverlake Partners are also ready to compete.

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Sunday night AT&T (NYSE: T) and DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) officially announced intentions for AT&T to acquire DirecTV. The deal assigns DirecTV a $67.1 billion enterprise value. DirecTV shareholders will receive most of the payout in AT&T stock and about a third in cash.

• [By Ian Wyatt]

  And DirecTV (DTV) has shot up 20.5% as consumers flock to digital television with DVR capabilities.

  By owning shares of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), you essentially own a slice of all those stocks.

Best Media Stocks To Own Right Now: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)

Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Networks, Filmed Entertainment, and Publishing. The Networks segment provides domestic and international networks, premium pay and basic tier television programming services, and digital media properties, which primarily consist of brand-aligned Websites. Its premium pay television services consist of the multi-channel HBO and Cinemax premium pay television services. This segment provides programming to cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors; sells advertising; and licenses original programming to domestic and international television networks. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces and distributes feature films, television and other programming, and videogames; distributes home video products; and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming, and characters. T he Publishing segment publishes magazines and books; and operates various Websites, as well as engages in marketing services and direct-marketing businesses. This segment publishes magazines on style and entertainment, lifestyle, news, and sports. The company?s brands include TNT, TBS, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Beyers]

  Neither DC nor Marvel will be the ones to profit if this summer proves an R-rated comic book movie has the chops to draw a wide audience. Who will? Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA  ) , and studio subsidiary NBCUniversal, says Fool contributor Tim Beyers in the following video.
  
  Aug. 2 brings 2 Guns from BOOM! Studios. Two weeks later, Kick-Ass 2 kicks off. Both movies are smaller-budget comic book adaptations, with Kick-Ass 2 the sequel to 2010's Kick-Ass. Universal is distributing both films, Tim says.
  
  You can bet executives at Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) and Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS  ) will be watching carefully. Both have an interest in expanding their comic book movie lineups by offering darker fare. Of the two, Time Warner has been more willing to venture into R-rated territory, with DC Comics adaptations such as 2010's RED, a commercial success that earned $199 million worldwide. A sequel debuts on July 19, during the weekend of the annual San Diego Comic-Con.

• [By Helix Investment Research]

  We note that Keating Capital's co-investors in many of its portfolio companies are not simply other venture capital or existing investors, but strategic investors as well. Examples include Agilyx, where Waste Management (WM) is a co-investor, BrightSource, where Chevron (CVX) and BP (BP) are co-investors, Kabam, where Google (GOOG) and Intel (INTC) are co-investors, or Tremor Video (TRMR), where Time Warner (TWX) is a co-investor. As of the end of Q2 2013, 9 (excluding Jumptap) of Keating Capital's portfolio companies had unrealized gains, with an average gain of 25.6% (again excluding Jumptap, which had unrealized gains of 8% as of the end of Q2 2013). The remaining 6 companies had an average loss of 44.46%. However, on an overall basis, Keating Capital's portfolio currently has an average unrealized gain of 2.15%. While this is not a large gain, we note that the bulk of Keating Capital's profits are realized upon exiting an investment in conjunction with the portfolio company's IPO or sale. Furthermore, portions of Keating Capital's portfolio are defended by structurally protected appreciation clauses that the company has struck with its portfolio companies, clauses that are not reflected on its balance sheet. These clauses, which are negotiated between Keating Capital and its portfolio companies, allow the company to receive shares in the portfolio company's IPO at a discount, or grant it warrants to purchase additional shares in an IPO for a nominal price. Since inception, Keating Capital has negotiated structurally protected appreciation clauses in 11 of the 20 companies it has invested in. As of the end of Q2 2013, 6 of Keating Capital's 15 portfolio companies were protected by structurally protected appreciation clauses, representing $22 million in total capital (almost 43% of the company's invested capital), thereby entitling Keating Capital to a weighted-average aggregate value of 1.9x its investment at the time of an IPO.

• [By Tim Beyers]

  Why it should lose: Creature features tend to draw niche audiences. Pacific Rim, another collaboration between Legendary and Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX  ) Warner Bros., appears to have barely recovered its costs with a $407 million worldwide gross on a $190 million budget, Box Office Mojo reports.

• [By Dan Moskowitz]

  Disney also stacks up well against entertainment giants�Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) and Twenty-First Century Fox (NASDAQ: FOXA  ) . First, consider top-line performances over the past year:

Best Media Stocks To Own Right Now: CBS Corporation(CBS)

CBS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mass media company in the United States and internationally. The company?s Entertainment segment distributes a schedule of news and public affairs broadcasts, sports, and entertainment programming; produces, acquires, and distributes programming, including series, specials, news, and public affairs; produces and distributes theatrical motion pictures across various genres; and operates online content networks for information and entertainment. Its Cable Networks segment owns and operates multiplexed channels that offers subscription program services, including recently released theatrical feature films, original series, documentaries, boxing, mixed martial arts and other sports-related programming, and special events; and CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour cable program service related to college sports. This segment also owns and manages Smithsonian Networks, which operates Smithsonian Channel, a basic cab le service in the United States. The company?s Publishing segment publishes and distributes adult and children?s consumer books in printed, audio, and digital formats. Its Local Broadcasting segment owns 29 broadcast television stations; owns and operates 130 radio stations in 28 U.S. markets and related online properties; and owns local Websites that combine television and radio local media brands online to provide the latest news, traffic, weather, and sports information, as well as local discounts, directories, and reviews. The company?s Outdoor segment sells advertising space on various media, including billboards, transit shelters and other street furniture, buses, rail systems, mall kiosks, stadium signage, and in retail stores. CBS Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Healthy EPS growth is likely for CBS. Revenue has been inconsistent on an annual basis, but it has been impressive over the past�two quarters. Margins and cash flow are strong, and CBS is always looking to make strategic acquisitions to help fuel growth. Another positive is that analysts love the stock: 22 Buy, 7 Hold, 0 Sell. The biggest potential threat is a steep market correction (CBS isn�� very resilient). For those looking for something safer, Disney is a much better option. For those looking to ride the momentum wave, CBS is an OUTPERFORM.

• [By Adam Levy]

  Following in the footsteps of Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) and HBO, CBS (NYSE: CBS  ) plans to offer Showtime without a cable subscription. Speaking on the company's third-quarter earnings call last week, CBS CEO Les Moonves told analysts, "We could say fairly definitely, sometime in '15, there will be some [over-the-top] service from Showtime."