For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 17, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Citigroup Inc. (C), Liberty Global Inc. (LBTYA), Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), Deutsche Telekom AG (DT) and Vodafone Plc (VOD).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:

Citi to Sell Stake in Bellsystem24

Citigroup Inc. (C) announced that it will sell stake in Bellsystem24 to U.S. private equity firm, Bain Capital Partners, in a deal that values the Japanese call center operator at $1.1 billion.

The company announced on Sunday that it

...

Liberty Global Inc. (LBTYA) announced it will acquire all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Unitymedia GmbH, the second largest cable TV operator in Germany. The total consideration will be approximately $5.2 billion. Liberty Global will acquire 100% of the shares of Unitymedia for an equity purchase price of around $3 billion and will also assume around $2.2 billion of net outstanding debt of Unitymedia. The deal is expected to be completed by the first half of 2010 subject to regulatory clearance.   Liberty Global is the second largest cable TV operator in the world. However, it is the largest international cable TV operator since Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), the largest cable MSO in the world does not have any operation outside the U.S. As of now, the company has approximately 16.6 million customers in 14 nations, most of which are in Europe. On the other ...

Windstream Corp. (WIN), a leading rural telecom carrier, reported operating results for the third quarter with adjusted earnings per share of 24 cents, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 21 cents. Adjusted EPS excludes one-time items such as restructuring charges, merger and integration costs and non-cash pension expense.   Reported net income of $80 million (18 cents a share) reflects a 24% year-over-year decline on account of lower revenues, which declined 8% year over year to $734 million.  Service revenues fell 5% year over year to $704.9 million while product revenues declined 44% to $29.4 million. Average monthly service revenue per customer remained stable year over year at $79.99. Operating income declined 17% year over year to $225.4 million.   Windstream continues to experience steady decline in its fixed-line business given the rapid customer migration to cellular services. Total access lines declined by roughly 27,000 lines in the quarter

...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 6, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (DTV), AT&T (T), Comcast Corporation (CMCSA), Dish Network Corp. (DISH) and Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Thursday’s AnalystBlog:

DIRECTV Falls Short of Estimates

The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (DTV) reported revenues of $5.47 billion in the third quarter of 2009.

On a geographical basis, revenues from United States grew 9% to $4.7 billion due to solid subscriber and average revenue per unit (ARPU)

...

The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (DTV) reported revenues of $5.47 billion in the third quarter of 2009. On a geographical basis, revenues from United States grew 9% to $4.7 billion due to solid subscriber and average revenue per unit (ARPU) growth. The company added 136,000 net subscribers to its customer base in the United States primarily due to the addition of AT&T (T) as a marketing partner and record demand for company’s premium services. ARPU of $85.32 increased 2.1% as programming package price increases, as well as higher service fees for certain services, were partially offset by more competitive promotions for both new and existing customers. The company’s business in Latin America also demonstrated solid performance, posting a 16% increase in revenues and expanding its customer base to 162,000. This was driven by continued subscriber growth throughout the region, which more than offset the unfavorable impact ...

French telecom giant France Telecom (FTE) has reported operating results for third-quarter 2009 with revenue falling 6.4% year over year to €12.69 billion (US$18.1 billion), primarily due to unfavorable exchange rate fluctuations (British pound versus Polish zloty) and reduced mobile termination rates (inter-operator fees). Revenue was also hurt by the recession-driven discontinuation of landline phone use by customers.       EBITDA & Margin France Telecom, which operates two of the leading telecom brands in Europe (Orange and Wanadoo), reported EBITDA of €4.6 billion (US$6.6 billion) which declined 8% from the year-ago quarter, resulting in a fall in EBITDA margin to 35.9% from 36.6%. This decline is a result of stringent price regulation and adverse currency exchange swings. Revenue by Key Markets Reported revenue in France (46% of group sales), the company’s largest market, declined 1.6% year over year to €5.9 billion (US$8.4 billion) ...

Broadcom Corp. (BRCM) yesterday reported revenues of $1.254 billion in the third quarter, down 3.4% year over year but up 20.6% sequentially and surpassed its previously provided guidance of sequential revenue growth in the range of 7% – 14%.

Product revenues came in at $1.19 billion, down 4.7% year over year but up 24% sequentially. License revenue came in at $59.5 million, up 33.9% year over year. The sequential growth in revenues was broad- based driven by a return to normal order patterns from customers and a number of new product ramps. In terms of end markets, growth in broadband communications was driven by growth in the broadband modems and digital set-top box end-markets. In the digital TV market, revenues were adversely impacted by one large customer losing market share in North America and some share loss with other customers.

In mobile and wireless targeted end markets, the company experienced revenue

...

For the second quarter of fiscal 2010, Audiovox Corp. (VOXX) reported net income of $2.8 million or earnings per share of 12 cents, compared to a net loss of $2.3 million or a loss per share of 10 cents in the corresponding prior-year period. This exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 2 cents per share. Net sales for the quarter were $124.9 million, compared to net sales of $147.2 million in the prior-year period, a decrease of 15.2%. Accessories sales were $45.9 million, an increase of 29% compared to $35.5 million in the same quarter, a year ago. This increase is primarily due to the addition of new customers and higher sales of antennas as a result of the switch from analog to digital TV, remote controls and other accessory lines under Terk, Acoustic Research and RCA. Electronics sales, which include both mobile and consumer ...

Yesterday, DIRECTV Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the DIRECTV Group, Inc. (DTV) announced the expiration of its cash tender offer, which commenced on Sept. 14, 2009. The company intended to purchase all or part of its outstanding 8.375% senior notes of $910 million due 2013. Citigroup Global Markets, Credit Suisse Securities and J.P. Morgan Securities managed the tender offer. To fund its cash tender offer, DIRECTV raised $2 billion through private placement of debt securities that closed on Sept. 22, 2009. The company sold 4.75% senior notes of $1 billion due 2014 (issue price of $99.729) and another 5.875% senior notes of $1 billion due 2019 (issue price of $99.259). Part of the fund raised will also be utilized for general business purposes. On the expiration of the cash tender offer, DIRECTV has purchased $583.1 million of the total principal amount of senior notes due 2013, ...

On Sep 22, 2009, DIRECTV Holdings and DIRECTV Financing Company, the subsidiaries of the DIRECTV Group, Inc. (DTV) announced the completion of the $2 billion debt financing, previously announced on Sep 14, 2009. The debt financing consists of 4.75% senior notes of $1 billion due 2014 (issue price of $99.729) and another 5.875% senior notes of $1 billion due 2019 (issue price of $99.259). DIRECTV intends to utilize the net proceeds to purchase its outstanding 8.375% senior notes of $910 million due 2013, and also for general business purposes. DIRECTV Group is the world’s leading provider of satellite delivered digital television, video, and broadband. The company provides advanced communication services and develops a broad range of entertainment, information, and communication services for home and business use, including video, data, voice, multimedia, and Internet services. DIRECTV provides digital television ...