Microsoft got a boost from its cloud business but took one on the chin from its Nokia phone unit as the company posted fiscal Q4 revenue that edged Wall Street estimates, but earnings fell short. Microsoft (MSFT) said late Tuesday that its commercial cloud revenue jumped 147% from the year-earlier quarter to a run rate of $4.4 billion a year but also said Nokia accounted for a per-share loss of 8 cents. Microsoft stock was flat in after-hours
Comcast and Verizon Communications early Tuesday delivered Q2 earnings that owed much to their recent blockbuster acquisitions. Comcast’s (CMCSA) cable TV business delivered a Q2 broadband beat as video subscriber losses narrowed from the year-earlier quarter amid mixed results at entertainment arm NBCUniversal. Comcast completed its acquisition of NBCU from General Electric (GE) last year. Comcast on Tuesday said that Q2 EPS rose 15% to 75 cents,
By making an $80 billion acquisition offer for Time Warner, Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox has changed the media ecosystem. Megadeals might well now be the norm — a la Comcast ‘s (CMCSA) $45.2 billion agreement, announced in February, to acquire Time Warner Cable (TWC), which awaits government approval. Content and distribution companies need to generate continuous growth in their customer bases, and the quickest and most efficient method now