Analyst Benjamin Swinburne from Morgan Stanley maintained a Sell rating on Paramount Global Class B (PARA – Research Report) and increased the price target to $11.00 from $10.00.
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Benjamin Swinburne’s rating is based on Paramount Global’s significant exposure to the declining traditional TV sector, coupled with the company’s high financial leverage and modest free cash flow generation. Despite some progress in reducing streaming losses, Swinburne expresses uncertainty about the long-term profitability of Paramount+. Moreover, while the company’s valuation is no longer at a premium compared to its peers due to underperformance, the challenges facing linear TV have intensified, reinforcing the Sell recommendation.
Additionally, the ongoing trend of cord-cutting, with significant declines in multichannel video households, is expected to continue, negatively impacting media companies. Networks are experiencing subscriber declines that exceed overall distribution decreases, exacerbating the situation for Paramount. With the pending Skydance merger and the uncertainty surrounding its potential benefits, Swinburne underscores the risks and limited visibility into Paramount’s future earnings potential.