Equities Analysts Set Expectations for Viacom Inc.’s Q4 2017 Earnings (VIAB)

Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAB) – Barrington Research cut their Q4 2017 earnings per share estimates for shares of Viacom in a report issued on Tuesday. Barrington Research analyst J. Goss now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $0.85 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.98. Barrington Research has a “Outperform” rating on the stock. Barrington Research also issued estimates for Viacom’s Q1 2018 earnings at $1.04 EPS, Q2 2018 earnings at $0.82 EPS, Q3 2018 earnings at $1.16 EPS, Q4 2018 earnings at $0.93 EPS and FY2018 earnings at $3.95 EPS.

Viacom (NASDAQ:VIAB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.12. Viacom had a net margin of 11.04% and a return on equity of 30.89%. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.05 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

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A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Jefferies Group LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Viacom in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Viacom in a report on Friday, April 14th. BidaskClub lowered shares of Viacom from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Viacom from $35.00 to $30.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 5th. Finally, Pivotal Research reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of Viacom in a report on Sunday, April 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.14.

Viacom (NASDAQ:VIAB) traded down 0.0083% on Wednesday, hitting $30.1675. 1,396,705 shares of the stock traded hands. The stock has a market cap of $12.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.3015 and a beta of 1.57. Viacom has a 52 week low of $29.65 and a 52 week high of $46.72. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $34.25 and its 200 day moving average is $39.12.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. Viacom’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.98%.

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Macquarie Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Viacom by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 24,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $853,000 after buying an additional 8,691 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Viacom by 3.2% in the first quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 300,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,987,000 after buying an additional 9,263 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Viacom by 10.7% in the first quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 44,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,051,000 after buying an additional 4,249 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd raised its stake in shares of Viacom by 1.5% in the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 106,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,987,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of Viacom by 6.5% in the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 318,187 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,751,000 after buying an additional 19,285 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.38% of the company’s stock.

About Viacom

Viacom Inc offers global media brands that create television programs, motion pictures, short-form content, applications, games, consumer products, social media experiences and other entertainment content. As of September 30, 2016, the Company offered its services for audiences in more than 180 countries.