Welcome to John Ransom’s Stocks in the News where the headlines meet the trendlines.
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Stock number one: Charter Communications, Inc
Comcast Sheds Subscribers in $22B Deal with Charter—The Street.com
Cable operators Comcast (CMCSA_) and Charter Communications (CHTR_) announced a blockbuster, three-part deal valued at nearly $22 billion on Monday. Comcast said it aims to ease regulatory passage for the $67 billion purchase of Time Warner Cable (TWC_) by divesting cable systems with 3.9 million subscribers. "This transaction today gives federal, state and local regulatory bodies early identification of our divestiture process which we believe should be helpful in our efforts to gain approval for our merger with Time Warner Cable," Comcast CEO Brian Roberts told investors during a call.
Symbol: CHTR
Trailing PE: NA; Forward PE: 47
PEG: 39.76
Dividend:NA
Estimate Trend: Up
Ransom Note Trendline: Sell Charter Communications
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Stock number two: Ford Motor Co.
Ford advances after Citi recommends buying shares—Fly on the Wall
Shares of Ford (F) are rising after Citigroup recommended buying the stock following its recent decline. WHAT'S NEW: Ford's first quarter results, which the company reported on April 25, were solid, wrote Citigroup analyst Itay Michaeli in a note to investors earlier today. Although Ford took a charge related to its North American warranties, the charge should not worry investors, the analyst contended. Ford chose to take the charge, which caused its profit to miss expectations,
Recommended
Symbol: F
Trailing PE: 10; Forward PE: 9
PEG: 0.95
Dividend: 3.20%
Estimate Trend: Up
Ransom Note Trendline: Buy Ford

Stock number three: NorthStar Realty Finance Corp.
American Realty in talks to buy NorthStar Realty -sources--Reuters
American Realty Capital Properties Inc is in talks to buy NorthStar Realty Finance Corp, according to people familiar with the matter, in a deal that would combine a major property owner with a real estate financing company. The discussions between the two real estate investment trusts are preliminary, and there is no guarantee a deal would materialize, the people said on Monday, requesting anonymity because the matter is not public.
Symbol: RDEN
Trailing PE: NA; Forward PE: 15
PEG: NA
Dividend: 6.6%
Estimate Trend: Flat
Ransom Note Trendline: Hold Northstar

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