By Michael Calia
It's a big week for media companies to report results, with Walt
Disney Co. (DIS) and Time Warner (TWX) leading the way.
General Motors Co. (GM) is also scheduled to release results,
while Twitter Inc. (TWTR) is expected to lead the week's slate of
tech companies.
Markets will also have an eye on the macroeconomic front: Janet
Yellen is set to be sworn in as the chairwoman of the Federal
Reserve on Monday, and Friday brings the Labor Department's jobs
report for January.
Yellen at the Fed
Ms. Yellen--the current Fed vice chairwoman, who is considered a
"dove" on monetary policy--takes over as Fed chairwoman on Monday.
Ben Bernanke, who has held the office for eight years, departs
Friday.
Jobs Data
Markets will be keeping an eye on nonfarm payrolls data amid
ongoing signs that the consumer continues to struggle. Economists
expect the U.S. economy to have added 183,000 jobs in January, more
than double than December's underwhelming figure.
Media Companies in Focus
Disney is looking to keep up the momentum in its fiscal first
quarter, while observers will be looking for a bounceback from the
company's cable networks, which were hurt by an affiliate-fee
change related to ESPN. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters are
expecting per-share earnings of 91 cents and revenue of $12.23
billion.
Time Warner, which is expected to spin off its magazine unit
this year, may not get the boost from lower programming costs in
its network division like it did in the third quarter. Analysts are
looking for revenue to increase 3%, with per-share earnings at
$1.15.
New York Times Co. (NYT), 21st Century Fox Inc. (FOXA), Gannett
Co. (GCI) and News Corp (NWSA), the owner of the Wall Street
Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, are also expected to report
results.
Twitter Leads Tech Results
Twitter is expected to report its first quarterly earnings
Wednesday since the social network went public in early November.
Analysts are expecting a per-share loss of two cents on revenue of
$218 million.
AOL Inc. (AOL) and LinkedIn Corp. (LNKD) are also expected to
report results next week.
General Motors
GM is expected to report Thursday its first quarterly results
since the company appointed Mary Barra as chief executive. In an
interview with the Journal last week, Ms. Barra said the company
has "momentum" as the car maker pushes to beef up margins and
market share. Analysts are looking for earnings of 86 cents a share
and a revenue increase of 4%.
Other Notable Companies Expected to Report
Yum Brands Inc. (YUM), Clorox Co. (CLX), Michael Kors Holdings
Ltd. (KORS), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR), Kellogg
Co. (K), Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) and Post Holdings
Inc. (POST) are all also expected to post earnings next week.
Write to Michael Calia at michael.calia@wsj.com
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