FOX (NASDAQ:FOX) Downgraded by Wells Fargo & Company to Hold

FOX (NASDAQ:FOX) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of FOX in a report on Monday, December 29th. Cfra reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of FOX in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Fox Advisors set a $97.00 price target on shares of FOX in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of FOX in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of FOX in a research note on Friday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, FOX presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $82.50.

FOX Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of FOX stock opened at $59.15 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.56. FOX has a fifty-two week low of $43.18 and a fifty-two week high of $68.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 3.03 and a current ratio of 2.78. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $64.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.81.

FOX (NASDAQ:FOX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.31. FOX had a net margin of 11.41% and a return on equity of 18.14%. The company had revenue of $5.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. Equities research analysts predict that FOX will post 4.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at FOX

In other FOX news, Chairman Keith Rupert Murdoch sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.26, for a total value of $5,926,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 1,100,862 shares in the company, valued at $65,237,082.12. This represents a 8.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven Tomsic sold 138,397 shares of FOX stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.54, for a total value of $9,208,936.38. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 180,556 shares in the company, valued at $12,014,196.24. This trade represents a 43.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 268,294 shares of company stock worth $17,214,273 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 23.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of FOX in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in FOX in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in FOX by 336.9% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in FOX during the 3rd quarter worth $74,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in FOX during the 3rd quarter worth $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.41% of the company’s stock.

Key FOX News

Here are the key news stories impacting FOX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported Q2 results above estimates: EPS $0.82 vs. $0.51 consensus and revenue $5.18B, helped by advertising demand at news/sports networks and growth at ad-supported streamer Tubi. This beat is the main fundamental driver supporting the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: FOX declared a cash dividend of $0.28 per share (record date March 4, payable March 25), a shareholder-friendly action that can support the share price over the near term.
• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarter and ongoing streaming momentum have prompted continued analyst interest and buy-side positioning; institutional inflows and multiple recent buy ratings/price targets were noted in recent coverage. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained a Hold on FOX while raising its price target to $77, highlighting that streaming gains and solid fundamentals are being offset by structural headwinds in linear TV — a balanced analyst view that tempers upside. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: High trading volume and the stock sitting between its 50-day and 200-day moving averages suggest active positioning/rotations among investors following the earnings print and recent run-up to the 12‑month high.
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying metrics show some weakness: EPS declined versus the prior year ($0.82 vs. $0.96 a year ago), which may feed concerns about slowing profitability despite the quarter’s beat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite strong news coverage (including extensive Fox reporting on the Nancy Guthrie story), broader concerns about secular declines in linear TV ad demand remain a key risk that could limit multiple expansion and weigh on the stock. Article Title

About FOX

Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX) is a U.S.-based media company that operates television broadcast, news and sports businesses. The company traces its contemporary structure to the 2019 reorganization that followed the sale of certain entertainment assets to The Walt Disney Company; Fox Corporation retained a portfolio centered on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Television Stations, Fox News Media and Fox Sports. Over time the company has expanded its digital footprint through acquisitions and direct-to-consumer services, building a mix of linear and streaming distribution.

FOX’s core activities include the creation, aggregation and distribution of television programming and live sports, the operation of national cable news and business networks, and the ownership and operation of local broadcast stations.