Will News Corp. Rise Higher?

With shares of News Corp. (NASDAQ:NWSA) trading around $32, is NWSA an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock's Movement

News Corp. is a diversified global media company that operates in six segments: Cable Network Programming; Filmed Entertainment; Television; Direct Broadcast Satellite Television; Publishing; and Other. The company is involved in programming distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators; live-action and animated motion pictures distribution and licensing; operation of broadcast television stations and the broadcasting of network programming and in direct broadcast satellite business through its subsidiary, SKY Italia. News Corp. distributes information and entertainment through just about every medium possible which reinforces a powerful presence. As companies and consumers continue to search for entertainment and information at increasing rates, look for companies like News Corp. to see rising profits.

T = Technicals on the Stock Chart are Strong

News Corp. stock has been a big winner over the last few years. The stock has been digesting gains for a recent run and looks to be forming the right side of a base. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages. What are the key moving averages? The 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below, News Corp. is trading above its rising key averages which signal neutral to bullish price action in the near-term.

(Source: Thinkorswim)

Taking a look at the implied volatility (red) and implied volatility skew levels of News Corp. options may help determine if investors are bullish, neutral, or bearish.

	Implied Volatility (IV)	30-Day IV Percentile	90-Day IV Percentile
News Corp. Options	26.72%	66%	63%

What does this mean? This means that investors or traders are buying a significant amount of call and put options contracts, as compared to the last 30 and 90 trading days.

	Put IV Skew	Call IV Skew
July Options	Flat	Average
August Options	Flat	Average

As of today, there is an average demand from call buyers or sellers and low demand by put buyers or high demand by put sellers, all neutral to bullish over the next two months. To summarize, investors are buying a significant amount of call and put option contracts and are leaning neutral to bullish over the next two months.

Best Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now

On the next page, let's take a look at the earnings and revenue growth rates and the conclusion.

E = Earnings Are Increasing Quarter-Over-Quarter

Rising stock prices are often strongly correlated with rising earnings and revenue growth rates. Also, the last four quarterly earnings announcement reactions help gauge investor sentiment on News Corp.'s stock. What do the last four quarterly earnings and revenue growth (Y-O-Y) figures for News Corp. look like and more importantly, how did the markets like these numbers?

	2013 Q1	2012 Q4	2012 Q3	2012 Q2
Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)	221.05%	140.48%	235.71%	273.83%
Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)	13.54%	5.01%	2.22%	3.87%
Earnings Reaction	4.48%	-2.33%	1.60%	0.21%

News Corp. has seen increasing earnings and revenue figures over the last four quarters. From these numbers, the markets have been upbeat about News Corp.'s recent earnings announcements.

P = Excellent Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has News Corp. stock done relative to its peers, Time Warner (NYSE:TWX), Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS), Viacom (NASDAQ:VIA), and sector?

	News Corp.	Time Warner	Walt Disney	Viacom	Sector
Year-to-Date Return	27.71%	20.43%	28.54%	26.31%	24.77%

News Corp. has been a relative performance leader, year-to-date.

Conclusion

News Corp. is a multimedia giant that is able to reach and affect audiences all over the world. The stock has been a big winner over the last several years and is currently digesting gains for a strong run. Over the last four quarters, investors in the company have been upbeat as earnings and revenue figures have been rising. Relative to its strong peers and sector, News Corp. has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for News Corp. to continue to OUTPERFORM.