News Corporation - NWSA STOCK NEWS

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.

Dow Jones announced the expansion of WSJ Tech Live to Qatar through a multi-year agreement starting in late 2025. The invitation-only conference will be held annually for five years, marking its first Middle East edition while maintaining its annual California event. The Qatar conference will gather over 200 C-suite executives, investors, startups, and venture capitalists globally. The expansion aligns with Qatar's vision to become a global tech hub as outlined in their National Vision 2030. The current year's WSJ Tech Live achieved record-breaking sponsorship revenue, featuring discussions on generative AI, brain-computer interfaces, startup investments, and tech talent development.

Realtor.com's bi-annual down payment report reveals that home buyers are retreating from record-high down payments. In Q3 2024, nationwide down payments reached an average of 14.5% and a median amount of $30,300, down from Q2 2024's historical peak of 14.9% and $32,700. This decline is attributed to easing mortgage rates and improved affordability conditions.

Key findings include:

• Down payments remain historically high, more than double the pre-pandemic median
• Northeast states saw climbing down payments, with Maine and Rhode Island increasing the most
• Down payments shrank annually in half of the U.S. states
• Florida experienced a 24% year-over-year drop in down payments
• The District of Columbia saw the largest absolute decline, with down payments dropping over $17,000 year-over-year

Experts suggest that easing demand and increasing inventory gave buyers more flexibility, leading to slightly lower down payments. However, it's too early to determine if this is the beginning of a lasting downward trend.