Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $75.00.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on FOX shares. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $45.00 price target (down from $80.00) on shares of FOX in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of FOX from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of FOX from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th.

Key Headlines Impacting FOX

Here are the key news stories impacting FOX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UFL highlights and other live-sports coverage on FOX continue to drive appointment viewing and ad opportunities — positive for ratings and ad revenue. St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Louisville Kings Highlights UFL on FOX
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile event coverage (e.g., Artemis mission features) can attract cross-demographic viewers and premium ad dollars for FOX’s cable and streaming platforms. Artemis crew says they wanted to show mission could be done ‘exceptionally well’
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing hard-news coverage (Iran/Hormuz developments, global supply-chain concerns) is increasing traffic but is unpredictable in duration and monetization; news spikes can temporarily boost viewership but are hard to translate into steady ad revenue. Global famine fears rise as Hormuz crisis threatens ‘eight-year’ Suez-scale disruption
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple short-form video and political clips (WHCA dinner suspect, Senate hearings, campus incidents) indicate steady content output and engagement but are routine for a news broadcaster and unlikely to move fundamentals by themselves. WHCA Dinner suspect’s digital trail reveals elaborate planning, raises security concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Brokerage consensus: analysts have a “Hold” on FOX, which can damp investor enthusiasm and limit buying interest until guidance or catalysts change. Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is walking away from LIV Golf create uncertainty around the competitive sports landscape and potential rights/partnership dynamics — a negative for media companies exposed to golf/event rights until the picture clears. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund walking away from LIV Golf

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO John Nallen sold 216,806 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.68, for a total transaction of $12,505,370.08. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 362,206 shares in the company, valued at $20,892,042.08. This trade represents a 37.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lachlan K. Murdoch sold 637,752 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.20, for a total transaction of $37,117,166.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,846.40. The trade was a 99.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,586,871 shares of company stock worth $91,893,926. 23.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FOX

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FOX. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of FOX by 65.6% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 26,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,408,000 after acquiring an additional 10,579 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of FOX by 4.9% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $656,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of FOX in the first quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of FOX by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 11,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 3,222 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of FOX by 427.0% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 97,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,127,000 after purchasing an additional 78,804 shares during the last quarter. 26.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

FOX Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FOX opened at $56.93 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.69, a P/E/G ratio of 6.97 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $54.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.44. FOX has a fifty-two week low of $44.35 and a fifty-two week high of $68.18.

FOX (NASDAQ:FOX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $5.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. FOX had a net margin of 11.41% and a return on equity of 18.14%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that FOX will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current year.

FOX Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 4th. FOX’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.46%.

About FOX

Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX) is a U.S.-based media company that operates television broadcast, news and sports businesses. The company traces its contemporary structure to the 2019 reorganization that followed the sale of certain entertainment assets to The Walt Disney Company; Fox Corporation retained a portfolio centered on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Television Stations, Fox News Media and Fox Sports. Over time the company has expanded its digital footprint through acquisitions and direct-to-consumer services, building a mix of linear and streaming distribution.

FOX’s core activities include the creation, aggregation and distribution of television programming and live sports, the operation of national cable news and business networks, and the ownership and operation of local broadcast stations.