50% drop in Viacom stock wipes out $16B

The concerns about the future course of Viacom among its investors led the continuous drop in stock on Nasdaq. The latest watching ratings on Viacom's MTV, Nickelodeon, Spike and Comedy Central steeply fell when compared to its competitors. This has created doubts among the company's investors, who resorted to offload their holdings on Nasdaq exchange.

During the past one year, Viacom shares dropped by 50.2 percent eroding its market value by $16 billion. Viacom shares are tumbling much faster than other media shares.

However, Viacom shares marginally recovered by 2.36 percent on Wednesday (2September) to close at $43.46. The P/E (price earning) ratio stands at 10.2 and current market capitalization is worth $16.2billion.
Viacom and CBS Corp have been carved out of a media empire by Sumner Redstone in January 2006.

CBS Corp stock was trading on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CBS) at $44.29 as it rose 1.14 percent on Wednesday. The market capitalization of CBS stands at $21.3billion, while P/E ratio is hovering at 18.52.

Les Moonves-led TV Network shares gained 71 percent. Philippe Dauman-led Viacom is suffering from major loss during the past one year.

Viacom is world's sixth largest broadcasting and cable company by revenues. It has strong presence in cinema and cable television.

Viaom's June quarter earnings report was in line of market expectations. Revenues turned weaker. Analysts feel that steep fall in Viacom shares is unwarranted following the fall in advertising income over drop in C3 ratings on its networks.

The ratings drop and concerns among shareholders are taking a toll on the company's shares in the stock market. Shareholders are also anxiously watching the forthcoming key talks between Viacom and Dish Networks.

What's worrying Viacom's investors is that Dish Network could forces the company to opt for lower prices. The way it's been hammered down by over 50 percent in share price may not fetch attractive pricing for shareholders.

Dish provides 14 million subscribers and cable channels including Comedy Central. If Viacom doesn't retain Dish, the share price could drop to $28 and go up $51 following the renewal.

Dish Network Corp is trading on Nasdaq (DISH) at $59.20 with a marginal rise of 0.07 percent on Wednesday. Its market capitalization is $27.4billion and P/E ratio is at 22.27.

Another concern of Viacom shareholders is that popular hosts Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, etc, have quit Comedy Central. Adding to this comedy duo Key and Peele also walked out of Comedy Central. "How can Viacom find a suitable or better replacement for them. This is a very depressing situation," said an investor.

Now, everybody is watching to the upcoming discussions with Dish Network.

Shareholders and market analysts are also looking at Shari Redstone, who holds 20 percent stake in National Amusements Inc, which has controlling stake in Viacom and CBS. The 92-year-old Redstone is also worried about the huge drop in Viacom equities, according to sources.

The 50 percent drop has also turned an attractive proposition for some investors. Some investors are beginning to corner Viacom by increasing their shareholding to influence the top management at Viacom.
Gabelli Funds is the second largest shareholder in Viacom. He's not happy with his holdings of $418million 2014 declined to $206million.