Friday’s Headline-Making Stocks: Sony, Lions Gate, UBS, and 2 Others

UBS Delivers

UBS Group AG (USA) (NYSE:UBS) is 3% in the green today after the bank reported earnings of CHF0.27 ($0.28) per share on operating income of CHF7.4 billion ($7.62 billion) for its second quarter. Annualized adjusted return on tangible equity was 10.1%, while management achieved exceptional performance in its Personal & Corporate Banking division. The bank’s fully applied CET1 capital ratio was an excellent 14.2%. The number of funds that we track which had holdings in UBS Group AG (USA) (NYSE:UBS) fell by one quarter-over-quarter to 12 as of the end of March.

Lions Gate Trending on the Back of Starz Results

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (USA) (NYSE:LGF) is in the spotlight after its merger partner Starz (NASDAQ:STRZA) reported revenue falling by 3.6% year-over-year and operating income retreating by 5% during its second quarter. Profit at the premium subscription service company was in-line with estimates at $0.54 per share. Although the merger between the film studio and distribution channel could unlock substantial synergies, some investors worry about the profit sustainability of the company’s franchises. Shares of Lions Gate are down by almost 40% year-to-date. 32 funds in our database owned shares of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (USA) (NYSE:LGF) at the end of March, up by one from the end of the prior quarter.

Strong Results at Newell 

Traders are watching Newell Brands Inc (NYSE:NWL) today after the consumer goods company reported strong second quarter results. For the period, Newell announced earnings of $0.78 per share on revenue of $3.86 billion, beating the consensus estimates by $0.06 per share and $100 million respectively. Core sales grew by 5% year-over-year while normalized gross margin came in at 37.2%, a notable dip from the 40% figure that it stood at last year.  Guidance is on track, as management reiterated its previous outlook for the 12 months ended December 31, consisting of normalized EPS of $2.75-to-$2.90 and 3%-to-4% core sales growth. The number of funds in our system long Newell Brands Inc (NYSE:NWL) rose by five quarter-over-quarter to 33 as of the end of March.

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