News Corporation - NWSA STOCK NEWS

Dow Jones has launched Factiva Smart Summary, a new generative AI feature in its business intelligence platform. The tool provides concise, traceable summaries from thousands of trusted news sources. The company has secured GenAI licensing agreements with nearly 4,000 sources across 160+ countries and 29 languages, including major publishers like The Associated Press and The Washington Post.

The platform is engineered with Google's Gemini models on Google Cloud and joins Dow Jones's expanding suite of AI-powered products, including Factiva Feed for GenAI, Dow Jones Integrity Check, and RiskCenter Advanced Screening and Monitoring (ASAM). The service is now available to all subscribers.

Realtor.com's new survey reveals that 20% of NFL fans say their team loyalty significantly influenced their home search decisions. The research shows that 55% of fans feel more connected to their community through local team support. 66% of NFL followers enjoy watching football more when their community supports the same team.

The survey highlights that 67% of fans watch games in shared spaces like family rooms, while 29% have dedicated viewing areas. Team support is driven by performance (44%) and personal connections, including hometown representation (40%) and family tradition (39%). Gen Z and millennial followers showed the strongest influence of fandom on home search preferences.

Realtor.com®'s new research reveals that 74.5% of home sales with Veterans Affairs (VA) loans had a 0% down payment over the past year, with 83.5% having a down payment below 10%. VA borrowers are over twice as likely as conforming borrowers to make low down payments, easing upfront costs. Despite these benefits, only 3 in 10 veterans know about the zero down payment advantage. VA loans also offer lower mortgage rates and fees, saving first-time buyers $69 per month compared to conforming loans. Military households have higher homeownership rates, with top metros like Stockton, Des Moines, and Buffalo showing significant gaps between military and non-military homeownership rates. Realtor.com® launched the #MissionZero campaign in 2023 to raise awareness of VA loan benefits among veterans and service members.

Dow Jones has increased its minority ownership stake in Ripjar, a data intelligence software company specializing in risk and compliance solutions. The investment strengthens a partnership that began in 2018, delivering advanced risk screening and monitoring solutions to compliance customers. This strategic move follows Dow Jones's initial equity investment in Ripjar in 2023 and aligns with its transformation into a leading information service provider. Dow Jones Risk & Compliance has shown significant growth, with a 16% year-over-year increase in fiscal year 2024, reaching nearly $300 million in revenues.

News Corp announced that Susan Panuccio will step down as Chief Financial Officer on January 1, 2025, to be succeeded by Lavanya Chandrashekar. During Panuccio's tenure since March 2017, News Corp achieved record results and transformed into a digital- and subscription-first business, with share prices rising over 140%. The company generated strong free cash flows, completed two debt offerings, and implemented a $1 billion repurchase program. Chandrashekar joins from Diageo, where as CFO she led the company to 10.5% CAGR growth and launched a global digital transformation program.

News (NWS) reported strong first quarter fiscal 2025 results with record revenues of $2.58 billion, a 3% increase year-over-year. Net income jumped 148% to $144 million, while Total Segment EBITDA grew 14% to $415 million. Earnings per share reached $0.21, up from $0.05 in the prior year. Growth was primarily driven by strong performance in Digital Real Estate Services, Book Publishing, and Dow Jones segments. REA Group achieved record quarterly revenues of $318 million, up 22%. Digital book sales increased 15%, while Dow Jones saw 8% growth in its professional information business, with Risk & Compliance revenues up 16%.

Irenic Capital Management, one of News Corp's largest unaffiliated shareholders, announced its support for Starboard Value LP's proposal to eliminate News Corp's dual-class share structure. Irenic advocates for a 'one share, one vote' principle while recommending that high-vote Class B shareholders receive a substantial premium for the conversion, citing recent similar reclassifications that provided premiums ranging from 26.5% to 31%. The firm maintains confidence in management's efforts to unlock shareholder value, despite the lengthy process, particularly regarding the Dow Jones and REA franchises.

According to Realtor.com's October Monthly Housing Report, home sellers who listed properties in September contributed to increased market demand in October, with significant pending home sales increases in key markets like Seattle (+50.5%), Boston (+25.7%), and San Diego (+22.1%). Active inventory rose 29.2% compared to October 2023, reaching its highest level since December 2019. New listings increased by 9.9% year-over-year, with the West leading regional growth at 7%. The median listing price remained stable at $424,950, while the median list price per square foot increased by 2.1% year-over-year and 50.5% compared to October 2019.

News Corp (NWS) has announced it will release its first quarter Fiscal 2025 earnings on Thursday, November 7, 2024. CEO Robert Thomson and CFO Susan Panuccio will host a live audio webcast at 5:00 p.m. EST (9:00 a.m. AEDT on November 8 in Sydney) to discuss the results. The earnings release will be available on the company's investor relations website before the call, and a replay will be accessible shortly after the presentation concludes.