News Corporation (NWSA), headquartered in New York, creates and distributes authoritative and engaging content, and other products and services worldwide. Valued at $14.5 billion by market cap, the company delivers news, financial insights, entertainment, book publishing, digital real estate services, and subscription video content through influential publications like The Wall Street Journal, The Times, New York Post, MarketWatch, and more.
Shares of this global media and information services leader have underperformed the broader market over the past year. NWSA has declined 2.1% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied nearly 10.8%. In 2026, NWSA stock is up marginally, compared to SPX’s 10.9% rise on a YTD basis.
Narrowing the focus, NWSA’s outperformance is apparent compared to the State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLC). The exchange-traded fund has declined about 5.3% over the past year. Moreover, the stock’s marginal returns on a YTD basis outshine the ETF’s 8.6% losses over the same time frame.
NWSA’s mixed performance reflects a structural offset between booming digital growth engines and legacy headwinds. On the positive side, Q1 revenue reaching $2.28 billion compared to analyst estimates of $2.27 billion and an adjusted EPS of $0.28 representing a 7.7% beat, alongside double-digit growth in Dow Jones risk and compliance, robust performance from digital real estate platforms like REA Group and Realtor.com, and HarperCollins' audiobook surge, supported by AI content deals and incoming settlement payments, drove margin expansion. However, these gains were tempered by persistent macro challenges, including volatile advertising markets, housing supply constraints, and secular declines in traditional print media.
For the current fiscal year, ending in June 2027, analysts expect NWSA’s EPS to grow 13.6% to $1.34 on a diluted basis. The company’s earnings surprise history is impressive. It beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters.
Among the nine analysts covering NWSA stock, the consensus is a “Strong Buy.” That’s based on seven “Strong Buy” ratings, one “Moderate Buy,” and one “Hold.”
The configuration has been relatively stable over the past three months.
On Nov. 9, Guggenheim maintained a “Buy” rating on NWSA, with a price target of $43, the Street-high price target, implying a potential upside of 63.7% from current levels.
The mean price target of $36.54 represents a 39.1% premium to NWSA’s current price levels.
On the date of publication, Neha Panjwani did not directly have a position in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.