News Corp - NWS STOCK NEWS

Dow Jones and Operation HOPE have partnered to provide $3.5 million worth of MarketWatch subscriptions to U.S. high schools, benefiting teachers and students. This initiative, part of Dow Jones Smart Money, aims to enhance financial literacy by combining MarketWatch's journalism with Operation HOPE's network. The collaboration addresses the fact that only one in four American students have access to personal finance resources.

The partnership aligns with Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour's vision to make financial literacy more accessible. Mark DeCambre, editor-in-chief at MarketWatch, emphasized the importance of bringing financial information to classrooms. John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE's founder, highlighted the initiative's role in helping students understand the free enterprise system.

Teachers and administrators can apply for a free one-year subscription for their schools. Additionally, a virtual panel on the election, economy, and markets is scheduled for October 24, 2024.

A new report from Realtor.com reveals that certain phrases in home listings can indicate significant savings for buyers. Nationally, listings with terms like 'Priced to Sell' offer an average discount of nearly $38,000 off the median-priced home. The study found that such 'value' phrases correlate with listing prices 8.5% lower on average than similar homes in comparable neighborhoods.

The impact varies across markets, with discounts ranging from 23.1% in Little Rock, Arkansas, to 3.2% in Orlando, Florida. Southern and Midwestern markets tend to offer the largest discounts. The frequency of these phrases in listings also differs, from 1.9% in Long Island, New York, to 6.7% in Sarasota, Florida. The study suggests that buyers in markets with fewer 'priced to sell' listings may be more sensitive to factors associated with lower prices, such as home condition.

Realtor.com® has launched dynamic map layers, a new set of map-based search features that allow homebuyers to visualize hyperlocal insights and broader neighborhood trends. These layers provide real-time visualizations of property data and neighborhood insights, helping users answer questions like 'Is this house the best deal on the street?' and 'Where can I find the newest homes in a neighborhood?'

The new feature offers a unique zoom and pan experience, with color shading representing aggregated data that adjusts dynamically as users zoom in or out. Users can apply different map layers to access unique Realtor.com® econometric data, including market hotness, home estimates, lot size, year built, and more.

According to a recent survey, 71% of real estate website/app users believe more visual or map-based features could help them learn more about properties and compare homes more easily. The dynamic map layers aim to revolutionize how people search for homes online, providing an interactive and easy-to-understand way to make informed decisions.

Realtor.com's August Rental Report reveals that rental affordability has generally improved in most major U.S. markets. The nationwide median rent decreased by $5 (-0.3%) year-over-year to $1,753. Key findings include:

1. Most affordable rental markets: Oklahoma City, Columbus, and Austin
2. Least affordable markets: Miami, Los Angeles, and New York
3. Nationwide, renters spend 25.1% of income on rent (vs. 25.9% in August 2023)
4. Buying a starter home requires 38.5% of typical household income
5. 39 out of 50 top metros saw improved affordability compared to last year
6. Southern markets experienced the most significant improvements in affordability
7. Midwest markets saw deteriorating affordability due to faster rent growth

The report highlights ongoing challenges in rental affordability, despite improvements in many areas.

Realtor.com's new report, 'New Construction Insights', reveals that South Carolina, North Carolina, and Idaho are leading in new home construction, considering volume, affordability, and future growth. The top ten states for new construction are predominantly in the South and West regions. Nationwide, new home prices are lower than existing homes and have decreased significantly since July 2022. Builders are responding to affordability concerns by constructing smaller, more affordable homes. Homes built in 2024 are 8% smaller (163 sq ft) than those built in 2022. The report highlights a supply shortage of over 7 million single-family homes at the end of 2023, emphasizing the need for new construction to meet housing demand and contribute to economic activity.

Realtor.com's annual Best Time to Buy Report identifies September 29 - October 5, 2024 as the optimal week for homebuyers. During this period, buyers could potentially save over $14,000 compared to summer peak prices and see up to 37% more active listings than at the year's start. The report analyzes key market metrics including listing prices, inventory levels, new listings, time on market, buyer demand, and price reductions.

Key benefits of buying during this week include:

• Savings relative to summer's peak price of $445,000
• Increased inventory compared to early 2024
• Homes staying on the market for over two weeks longer than peak periods
• 29.5% lower demand than peak buying periods

The report suggests that falling mortgage rates and increased inventory make fall 2024 an attractive time for potential buyers to enter the market.

News Corp (NWS) has received a non-binding stockholder proposal to eliminate its dual-class capital structure at the 2024 Annual Meeting. The Board believes the current structure has promoted stability and facilitated successful strategy implementation, leading to long-term outperformance for all stockholders. Despite digital revolution challenges, News Corp has transformed its revenue and earnings base through digital reinvestment, strategic acquisitions, and cost management initiatives. The company has also secured multi-year content licensing deals with major tech platforms, creating new revenue streams and growth opportunities in the AI age. Over the past five years, News Corp's stock price has outperformed both the S&P 500 and its peer group. Stockholders are not required to take action at this time, and the company will file preliminary materials for the 2024 Annual Meeting with the SEC in due course.

Starboard Value LP, a significant shareholder of News (NWS), has issued a letter to shareholders proposing the elimination of the company's dual-class share structure at the 2024 Annual Meeting. Starboard argues that News Corp suffers from poor corporate governance, which has exacerbated its valuation discount. The letter criticizes the extension of super-voting rights to the Murdoch family inheritors, stating there are no reasonable arguments for this practice.

Key points:

• Starboard believes News Corp has an opportunity for significant shareholder value creation
• The Murdoch family's economic ownership in News Corp is approximately 14%, controlling 41% of the vote
• Previous proposals to eliminate the dual-class structure were supported by nearly 90% of unaffiliated shareholders
• Starboard plans to file a proxy statement with additional details

Realtor.com® has launched Renovation Designer, a generative AI design tool powered by Hover. This innovative feature allows homeowners to visualize realistic exterior and interior home renovations before investing time and money. Users can access the tool by claiming their home within My Home on Realtor.com® and uploading photos of their property.

Key features include:

• Instant project visualization for easy decision-making
• Extensive design options with realistic representations
• User-friendly interface with professional-grade visualizations