Topic: How To Invest

Pat: I have been a member of the Inner Circle for a number of years and value your advice. Do you have an opinion on Viacom? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Viacom Inc., symbols VIA, $40.75 (class A: one vote per share) and VIAB $36.14 (class B: non-voting) on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 396.7 million; Market cap: $14.5 billion; www.viacom.com) is a leading producer and distributor of movies, television programs and other entertainment content. The company has two main divisions: Media Networks (78% of its revenue) owns and operates cable specialty channels that reach 510 million households in 180 countries. These channels include MTV: Music Television, VH1, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television and Spike TV. Filmed Entertainment (22%) produces and distributes films and TV shows, mainly through its Paramount Pictures business. Paramount has a library of over 3,300 films. On January 1, 2006, broadcasting company CBS Corp., symbol CBS on New York, spun off Viacom as a separate firm. Viacom’s revenue fell 11.0%, from $14.9 billion in 2011 to $13.3 billion in 2015 (fiscal years end September…