News Corp - NWSA STOCK NEWS

A new Realtor.com® survey reveals that movers spend an average of $17,000 setting up their new homes, with Realtor.com® users spending nearly $20,000. The study highlights that 36% of movers feel excited on moving day, challenging traditional views of moving as purely stressful.

Key findings show that cleaning is important in making a house feel like home, with over 60% preferring DIY cleaning. 61% of movers tried new cleaning products, and 51% opted for organic options. Connectivity is also vital, with 60% installing internet before moving day, and 35% adopting 5G in their new homes.

The survey also revealed that movers are open to brand experimentation, with one-third purchasing vehicles within 12 months of moving. Notable life events among movers included promotions (39%), new jobs (21%), and having children (16%). Most moves (68%) occur within 50 miles of previous residences, with single-family homes being the most common purchase (55%).

The U.S. housing market shows mixed signals in March 2025, with new listings rising 10.2% annually to their highest March level in three years. However, buyer caution persists amid economic uncertainty, evidenced by a 5.2% YoY drop in pending home sales across major metro areas.

The national median listing price remained stable at $424,900, though 17.5% of active listings saw price reductions - the highest share for any March since 2016. Total inventory increased 28.5% YoY, with all 50 largest metro areas showing gains. Notable increases were seen in San Jose (+67.9%), Las Vegas (+67.8%), and Denver (+67.3%).

Despite improvements, total U.S. housing inventory remains 20.2% below pre-pandemic levels. Markets showing significant declines in pending sales include Jacksonville (-15.1%), Miami (-13.7%), and Virginia Beach (-14.2%), while San Jose (+6.4%), Grand Rapids (+6.1%), and Sacramento (+4.6%) demonstrated growth in pending listings.

Realtor.com reveals that Americans need to work an average of 10 days per month to afford a mortgage payment on the median U.S. home price of $412,000. The study, released on April 2, 2025, shows significant regional variations.

Hawaii tops the list requiring 17 working days to cover mortgage payments, followed by California, Massachusetts, and Montana at 15 days each. In contrast, Midwest and Southeast regions show greater affordability, with Ohio requiring only 6 working days and states like Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia, and Michigan requiring 7 days.

The analysis assumes a 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.65% interest rate, 20% down payment, and includes property taxes and insurance costs at 1.7% annual rate, based on February 2025 median home prices and January 2025 BLS wage data.

News Corp (NWS) has completed the sale of Foxtel Group to DAZN Group , following regulatory approvals from Australian authorities. The transaction resulted in:

- A$592 million repayment of shareholder loans to News Corp
- News Corp receiving approximately 6% minority equity stake in DAZN
- News Corp's Senior VP and Deputy CFO Andrew Cramer joining DAZN's board

The sale aligns with News Corp's strategy to focus on core growth pillars, which generated over 95% of Total Segment EBITDA in Q2. The company expects the transaction to strengthen its balance sheet, reduce capital intensity, improve return on invested capital, and be accretive to earnings per share.

Dow Jones has launched Dow Jones Risk Journal, a premium news solution designed for risk and compliance professionals. The platform delivers personalized news, insights, and analysis from specialized journalists covering risk and compliance issues, along with regulatory analysis from legal contributors.

The service integrates reporting from The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch, WorldECR, and Export Compliance Manager. Subscribers receive real-time alerts customized to their specific risk topics and compliance needs. The platform includes access to Dow Jones's suite of risk and compliance tools, search capabilities, data, events, and insights from the WSJ CCO Council.

Launch partners including Amgen Inc., IBM, and IHH Healthcare Berhad are already utilizing the service, with select partners serving on an advisory panel to enhance the offering.

Dow Jones has completed the acquisition of Dragonfly Intelligence and Oxford Analytica from FiscalNote Holdings for $40 million, with News Corp expecting a $4 million tax benefit. Both companies will operate under Dow Jones Risk & Compliance division.

Dragonfly Intelligence provides geopolitical and security intelligence services from London and Singapore, offering real-time intelligence on security risks. Oxford Analytica, founded in 1975, delivers macroeconomic and geopolitical risk analysis through its global expert network.

The acquisition strengthens Dow Jones's specialized business information portfolio. The Risk & Compliance division reported 16% year-over-year revenue growth to nearly $300 million in fiscal year 2024. This follows recent acquisitions of WorldECR and increased stake in Ripjar, highlighting Dow Jones's expansion in the risk and compliance sector.

Down payments reached historic highs in 2024, with buyers paying an average of 14.4% ($29,900) of purchase price, up from 14.2% ($27,200) in 2023. The Q4 2024 typical down payment was $30,250, approximately $3,000 higher than the previous year and 3.4 percentage points above pre-pandemic levels.

The increase is attributed to pandemic-era savings and near-record high existing home equity. Housing activity grew 7.4% in the $750,000-plus price range while declining 9.3% in lower-priced segments. The 30th percentile down payment, representing modest payments, was $8,200 in Q4 2024, up 6.5% year-over-year but below the pandemic peak of $10,300 in Q2 2022.

News Corp (NWS) announced that Chief Technology Officer David Kline will resign from his position, effective June 30, 2025, to pursue an opportunity outside the organization. During his five-year tenure since January 2020, Kline played a important role in advancing the company's technology operations across enterprise systems, product offerings, and solution delivery.

Under Kline's leadership, News Corp's global technology organization successfully navigated pandemic challenges and the emergence of Generative AI, while developing strategic partnerships with technology platforms and implementing operational efficiencies. CEO Robert Thomson praised Kline's contributions, highlighting his positive influence and the strong tech team he assembled during his tenure.

Realtor.com's February rent report reveals that despite declining rents in top 50 metros, lower multifamily permitting activity could lead to future rent increases. Only 294,000 multifamily units were permitted in 2024, down from 318,000 during the pandemic peak in 2020.

Nine metros, including New York, Kansas City, and Detroit, showed lower multifamily permitting and rising rents. Conversely, cities like Birmingham, Cincinnati, and Cleveland saw increased permitting and declining rents. In federal employment hotspots, rent trends vary, with Washington D.C. up 3.3% year-over-year, while San Diego experienced a 6% decline.

The report highlights that larger rental units maintain strong demand, with 2-bedroom units showing 18.3% growth over five years, compared to 14.3% for 1-bedroom and 9.7% for studio units. Currently, all unit types show slight year-over-year declines around -0.7% to -0.8% as of February 2025.