Meredith Corp: What To Do With The Stock After The Time Acquisition


27% profit every 20 days?

This is what Nic Chahine averages with his option buys. Not selling covered calls or spreads… BUYING options. Most traders don’t even have a winning percentage of 27% buying options. He has an 83% win rate. Here’s how he does it.


Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP) will subsume Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) for about $2.8 billion or $18.50 per share, and the deal has won Meredith a fresh endorsement. 

The Rating

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Jefferies analyst John Janedis upgraded Meredith to Buy and raised the price target from $56 to $80.

The Thesis

The deal is “highly accretive,” particularly near-term in the consolidated broadcast assets, Janedis said. (See Janedis' track record here.) 

Between savings in circulation, real estate and public company costs, Meredith estimates two-year synergies between $400 million and $500 million, but Jefferies predicts additional upside driven by cost reduction, portfolio trimming and digital revenues.

The combined entity is also seen to rank in the top 10 among digital operators, with 170 million unique monthly visitors, more than 10 billion annual video views and $4.8 billion in revenue.

“Although MDP is adding to the secularly challenged print biz, we think in this case the combined entity is greater than its parts — over time the market will give MDP credit for an improved long-term trajectory,” Janedis said.

Price Action

Meredith was unmoved by the Jefferies upgrade and traded up just 1.6 percent Tuesday at a rate of $68.30. The stock is up nearly 27 percent since the bid caught a Koch-related tailwind mid-November and is trading near all-time highs.

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27% profit every 20 days?

This is what Nic Chahine averages with his option buys. Not selling covered calls or spreads… BUYING options. Most traders don’t even have a winning percentage of 27% buying options. He has an 83% win rate. Here’s how he does it.


Posted In: Analyst ColorUpgradesPrice TargetAnalyst RatingsJaime MorrisJefferiesJohn Janedis