San Francisco-based ValueAct said in a letter to investors Thursday that it now owns a 7% stake in The New York Times. It said it believed the current valuation doesn’t reflect the company’s long-term growth prospects in almost any potential economic environment and that management has several opportunities to offset the macroeconomic headwinds that face the industry.
“Our research suggests that most current readers and subscribers are interested in the bundle and would pay a large premium for it, but are not aware the offering even exists,” ValueAct said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg. “This is an opportunity we believe management needs to drive with urgency, as it is the biggest lever to accelerate growth, deepen NYT’s competitive moat, and ensure the long-term strength and stability of the platform.
The company’s shares had fallen about 32% this year before Thursday. They rose as much as 12% and were up 10.8% to $35.11 at 2.11pm in New York trading, giving the company at market value of about $5.8-billion. Earlier this month, The New York Times said second-quarter digital advertising revenue decreased 2% and it expects total advertising sales in the third quarter to be flat or down low single digits.ValueAct said its research showed there is a competitive advantage at The New York Times. A bundle customer’s lifetime value is 2.5 times that of a new only-digital subscriber, it noted.
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