News Corp - NWSA STOCK NEWS

Realtor.com's February Housing Report reveals significant shifts in the housing market. The share of homes with price reductions increased to 16.8% from 14.6% last February, while newly listed homes rose 4.2% year-over-year, marking the highest February activity since 2021.

The median home listing price decreased to $412,000, influenced by more smaller homes entering the market. Properties spent an average of 66 days on the market, marking the 11th consecutive month of extended selling times compared to the previous year, though still moving faster than pre-pandemic levels.

Despite recent federal workforce uncertainties, markets with high government employment concentrations haven't shown notable trends in inventory growth, time on market, or price softening. In the Washington, D.C. area, price reductions increased by 2.3 percentage points year-over-year, ranking 23rd among metros for largest increases in price reductions.

Realtor.com® is taking a bold step to address America's housing crisis at SXSW 2025 through three comprehensive panel discussions. The event highlights the critical shortage of approximately 4 million homes in the U.S., which has led to intense buyer competition and elevated costs.

The panels will be held across two locations in Austin, Texas: Realtor.com® Headquarters on March 8 and Thompson Hotel on March 10. Key sessions include 'Future-Proof Housing for the Next Generation,' 'What Texas Can Teach Us About Solving America's Housing Crisis,' and 'Unlocking Supply: Addressing the Missing ~4 Million Homes in America.'

The event features prominent speakers including Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, industry leaders, and experts from Realtor.com®, ICON, Landsea Homes, National Zoning Atlas, and The Urban Institute. The sessions will explore solutions to the inventory crunch and its impact on housing's future.

News Corp (NWS) has announced that its Chief Executive Robert Thomson will be participating in the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 3, 2025. The session is scheduled to begin at 6:20 PM EST (3:20 PM PST).

Investors and interested parties can access the live webcast through the News Corp investor relations website at investors.newscorp.com/calendar-events. A replay of the webcast will be made available at the same location following the conference for those unable to attend the live session.

FiscalNote Holdings (NYSE: NOTE) has announced a definitive agreement to sell Oxford Analytica and Dragonfly to Dow Jones for $40 million. The transaction, expected to close in Q1 2025, will help reduce FiscalNote's senior term loan and strengthen its balance sheet, resulting in a cumulative debt paydown of over 60% in the past year.

The divestiture of these UK-based portfolio companies from FiscalNote's Global Intelligence business aligns with the company's strategy to focus on its core Policy platform serving 4,000+ global policy customers. The sale aims to streamline operations, expand Adjusted EBITDA margins, and accelerate the path to positive free cash flow.

Oxford Analytica, acquired in February 2021, provides geopolitical analysis and advisory services, while Dragonfly, acquired in January 2023, offers global security intelligence services. Both businesses have operated independently of FiscalNote's core products.

Dow Jones has announced the acquisition of Dragonfly Intelligence and Oxford Analytica from FiscalNote Holdings for $40 million. The deal, expected to close in Q1 2025, includes a $4 million tax benefit for News Corp. Both companies will operate under Dow Jones Risk & Compliance, enhancing its geopolitical risk and security intelligence offerings.

Dragonfly, with offices in London and Singapore, provides real-time security intelligence to multinational companies and public sector entities. Oxford Analytica, founded in 1975, delivers macroeconomic and geopolitical risk analysis through its global expert network.

This acquisition follows Dow Jones Risk & Compliance's strong performance, with revenue growing 16% year-over-year to nearly $300 million in fiscal 2024. The company recently acquired WorldECR and expanded its stake in Ripjar, demonstrating its commitment to strengthening its risk and compliance services.

Realtor.com's January Rent Report reveals that renting remains more affordable than buying in 48 of the 50 largest U.S. metros, with only Detroit and Pittsburgh as exceptions. The average U.S. median asking rent reached $1,703, showing a slight 0.2% year-over-year decline.

Despite falling rents, current rates still exceed January 2020 levels by $257 (16.1%). Pittsburgh ($229,700) and Detroit ($239,950) maintain the lowest median listing prices among top 50 metros. Three metros - New York, San Jose, and Detroit - show increasing income shares for both renting and buying, while Kansas City is becoming more buyer-favoring. Notably, 18 metros have become more rent-favoring, with higher income shares needed for buying compared to last year.

Texas leads the nation in new house construction, issuing 15% of U.S. building permits in 2024 despite having only 9% of the population, according to a new Realtor.com® report. The state attracts residents primarily due to affordable housing, favorable climate, and job opportunities, with more than 1 in 4 home shoppers coming from out of state, particularly from California and international locations.

The median listing price in Texas was $360,000 in December 2024, approximately $40,000 below the national median. The state has focused on building smaller, more affordable homes, with the median new construction size decreasing 5.3% to 2,073 square feet since 2020. Nearly half (47.5%) of Texas's for-sale inventory was priced at $350,000 or below, compared to 40.1% nationally.

Among major Texas metros, San Antonio leads in affordable housing availability, followed by Houston, Dallas, and Austin. Despite improvements in inventory levels reaching pre-pandemic numbers, affordability remains a challenge, with only 17% of for-sale inventory being affordable to the 51% of Texans who earn less than $75,000 annually.

Realtor.com®, a News Corp subsidiary, announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters from Santa Clara, California to Austin, Texas. The company has designated Austin as its primary hiring location, committing to long-term growth in Texas through talent development and office expansion.

The decision aligns with Texas's robust real estate market growth. According to a new Realtor.com® report, Texas is the fastest-growing state, projected to surpass California as the most populous state by 2045. The report highlights Texas's leadership in housing development, accounting for 15% of U.S. permitted housing units in 2024, exceeding its 9% population share.

The move is attributed to Texas's strong talent pool, growing economy, housing affordability, tech community, and business-friendly environment, including no corporate or personal income taxes. The company has already established a presence in Austin through hiring initiatives, community engagement, and an internship program.

News (NWS) reported strong financial results for Q2 FY2025, with revenues increasing 5% to $2.24 billion compared to $2.14 billion in the prior year. Net income from continuing operations surged 58% to $306 million, while Total Segment EBITDA rose 20% to $478 million.

Key highlights include record revenues at REA Group ($343 million, up 17%) and Dow Jones ($600 million), with the latter driven by improved circulation and professional information business revenues. Book Publishing revenues grew 8%, while Segment EBITDA increased 19%. The company announced the sale of Foxtel to DAZN for an A$3.4 billion enterprise value.

Digital performance remained strong, with Dow Jones digital revenues representing 81% of total revenues. The Wall Street Journal's digital-only subscriptions grew 7% to nearly 3.8 million. The company declared a semi-annual cash dividend of $0.10 per share.