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What’s next for Disney and Ford? Here’s our view on the latest news on both Club stocks

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1 year ago

March 2, 2023

Walt Disney (DIS) and Ford Motor (F) could both be at inflection points. Here’s the latest news on both Club holdings as of Thursday, and our take on where things stand. Disney could sell Hulu The news: In a research note this week, analysts at Citi argued there’s an increased likelihood Disney could sell its 67% stake in streaming platform Hulu. The Citi assessment comes weeks after Disney reported stronger-than-expected fiscal 2023 first-quarter results , with CEO Bob Iger committing to refocus the entertainment giant on “core brands and franchises” and rein in costs. Iger simultaneously unveiled a comprehensive restructuring program, part of a larger effort to make its beleaguered direct-to-consumer (DTC) unit — which includes streaming platforms Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ — profitable. In a post-earnings interview with CNBC last month, Iger suggested he would be open to selling Hulu to rival Comcast (CMSCA), which owns the remaining 33% stake in the platform. Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. Iger’s comments led the Citi analysts to suspect Disney “may moderate content spending, raise prices and potentially relegate its DTC offer to niche status.” If Disney were to sell Hulu, the analysts hypothesized it could move to secure distribution rights to The Incredible Hulk and Namor, two Marvel characters held by Universal. Disney owns all of Marvel’s intellectual property. “While the cost of securing these rights is likely small relative to the value of Hulu…it would fit with Mr. Iger’s desire to focus on core brands and franchises,” the analysts wrote. Citi reiterated a buy rating on Disney stock and a price target of $130 per share. Shares of Disney, which have climbed more than 13% year-to-date, were up slightly Thursday afternoon, at $98.68 apiece. The Club take: With Bob Iger back in the corner office, everything is on the table. The long-time Disney executive’s new strategy is helping to right the ship and should ultimately bring profitability to the company’s streaming unit. Iger has said he wants to empower creative leaders at Disney to make them responsible for how content gets made, distributed and monetized. But Disney should also lean into its existing franchises and focus less on general entertainment as it works to moderate spending in its DTC division. Ultimately, we think that if Iger executes on his restructuring plans, the stock can eventually move even higher, keeping us long-term holders. We reiterate our 1 rating on the stock, meaning we would buy shares of Disney here. Ford reports solid monthly sales The news: Club holding Ford on Thursday said it sold 157,606 vehicles in the U.S. in February, a 21.9% increase year-over-year that showed its supply challenges are easing. But that figure came in below analysts’ forecasts for sales of 162,000 vehicles. Internal combustion vehicles remained the most popular, with 144,926 sold last month, followed by hybrids. Ford sold just 3,523 electric vehicles (EVs) — a key element of the company’s transformation plan — but that signified a 68% jump on an annual basis. Meanwhile, Ford said Thursday it plans to restart production on its F-150 electric pickup truck on March 13, a month after it halted making the EV due to a battery issue. Shares of Ford were trading up more than 1% in late afternoon trading Thursday, at $12.47 each. The Club take: Ford’s monthly sales may indicate a positive step forward, but we’re not yet sure how that translates into profits. Moreover, Ford’s restructuring has resulted in production snags, leading to a messy fourth-quarter earnings report last month. At the time, CEO Jim Farley cited ongoing “execution issues” that gave us pause. We were at least pleased to see the battery issue with the F-150 did not drag out longer. But we originally bought shares of the automaker for its decision to abandon unprofitable operations and remake the company as a leader in EVs, all while increasing profits through large-scale manufacturing. But our investment thesis has been put to the test. If Farley can’t deliver on his strategy by the time Ford reports first-quarter earnings, we’ll have no choice but to move on from the stock. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long F, DIS. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

The Disney+ website on a laptop computer in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Monday, July 18, 2022.

Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Walt Disney (DIS) and Ford Motor (F) could both be at inflection points. Here’s the latest news on both Club holdings as of Thursday, and our take on where things stand.

Source: CNBC

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