Gannett is more than newspapers

Article Excerpt

GANNETT CO. INC. $24 (New York symbol GCI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector: Shares outstanding: 229.1 million; Market cap: $5.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.gannett.com) publishes 99 newspapers in the U.S. and U.K., including USA Today, its flagship paper. It also publishes 680 magazines and weekly papers and owns 23 U.S. television stations. Newspapers account for 70% of Gannett’s revenue, followed by TV (16%) and websites (14%). Shift to digital hurt ad sales Like most publishers, Gannett has struggled as advertisers shift to the Internet. That’s the main reason why its revenue fell 22.6%, from $6.8 billion in 2008 to $5.2 billion in 2011. However, revenue rose 2.2%, to $5.4 billion, in 2012, as the Summer Olympics and the presidential election spurred demand for TV ads. Earnings fell sharply, from $3.04 a share (or a total of $694.2 million) in 2008 to $1.79 a share (or $423.5 million) in 2009. Earnings turned around in…