News Corporation (Class A)
NWSABusiness Model
ticker: NWSA step: 01 generated: 2026-05-13 source: quick-research
News Corporation Class A (NWSA) — Business Overview
Note on Share Classes
NWSA (Class A) and NWS (Class B) are both S&P 500 constituents representing the same underlying company — News Corporation. The only difference is voting rights: NWSA holders have one vote per share; NWS holders have no voting rights. Both classes trade on NASDAQ. NWSA typically trades at a small premium to NWS due to voting rights.
See /Users/guy/Desktop/Stocks/NWS/Step_01_Overview.md for the full business overview.
Business Description
News Corporation is a global media and information services company controlled by the Murdoch family, operating across five segments: Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Factiva, Dow Jones Risk & Compliance), Digital Real Estate Services (REA Group ~61% owned, Realtor.com/Move), Book Publishing (HarperCollins), News Media (New York Post, The Times/Sun UK, Sky News Australia), and Other. The company sold its 65% stake in Foxtel (Australian pay-TV) to DAZN in April 2025.
Key Facts
- Exchange: NASDAQ
- Share Class: Class A (1 vote per share)
- Corresponding non-voting class: NWS (Class B)
- Sector / Industry: Communication Services / Publishing
- Market Cap (combined NWSA+NWS): ~$14B
- Murdoch Family Trust controls majority of voting rights via NWSA
Financial Snapshot
ticker: NWSA step: 04 generated: 2026-05-13 source: quick-research
News Corporation Class A (NWSA) — Financial Snapshot
Note on Share Classes
NWSA (Class A) and NWS (Class B) represent the same company. Financials are identical; the only distinction is voting rights. See /Users/guy/Desktop/Stocks/NWS/Step_04_Financial_Snapshot.md for the full financial snapshot.
Summary (same as NWS)
| Metric | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | ~$10.4B | $9.90B | $8.90B | -10.1% |
| Total Segment EBITDA | $1.67B | ~$1.55B | ~$1.60B | ~+3% |
| Adj. EPS | $1.20 | ~$1.10 | ~$0.90 | n/m |
FY2025: Record profits; 11 consecutive quarters of EBITDA growth; FY2026E adj. EPS ~$0.97 (+9%)
Key Ratios
- P/E: ~27x (FY2025 adj.) | EV/EBITDA: ~10x
- Digital revenue: 62% of total (FY2025) vs. 32% (FY2018)
- Dow Jones digital subs: 5.9M (+10% YoY); total 6.4M (+8%)
- AI licensing: OpenAI ~$250M/5yr + Meta ~$50M/yr
- Analyst avg. price target: ~$35.57 (Strong Buy, 9 analysts; ~48% upside from ~$24)
Recent Catalysts
ticker: NWSA step: 12 generated: 2026-05-13 source: quick-research
News Corporation Class A (NWSA) — Investment Catalysts & Risks
Note on Share Classes
NWSA (Class A) and NWS (Class B) represent the same underlying company. Investment thesis is identical. See /Users/guy/Desktop/Stocks/NWS/Step_12_Catalysts.md for the full catalysts and risks analysis.
Summary of Key Thesis Points
Bull Case:
- AI content licensing (OpenAI $250M+/5yr, Meta ~$50M/yr; additional deals in negotiation) — premium journalism as critical AI training data
- Digital transformation complete: 62% digital revenue, 11 consecutive EBITDA growth quarters, WSJ digital subs 5.9M (+10%)
- REA Group (dominant Australian property listings) + Realtor.com growing 17% in Digital Real Estate
Bear Case:
- AI traffic cannibalization — zero-click AI answers could erode advertising and subscription traffic
- Real estate market cyclicality — US housing freeze and Australian rate sensitivity impair Digital Real Estate
- Dual-class governance — NWS/NWSA split with Murdoch family control; succession uncertainty
NWSA-Specific Note
NWSA carries voting rights (1 vote/share) vs. NWS (no vote). NWSA typically trades at a small premium to NWS. The Murdoch Family Trust controls sufficient NWSA shares to maintain effective control of the company regardless of institutional voting. This voting structure is the primary reason both classes trade at a 48% discount to analyst sum-of-parts valuations ($35.57 target vs. ~$24 stock).
Research Date
Generated: 2026-05-13
Full Research Available
This primer covers steps 1–3 of 21. The full deep dive includes moat analysis, DCF valuation, bull/bear scenarios, management quality, earnings transcript analysis, competitive positioning, returns on capital, institutional/insider activity, and an investment memo.