康卡斯特二季度业绩超预期且 Peacock 首次季度盈利，但同一财报催化已被系统处理

Comcast Corp. reported earnings that beat analysts’ estimates on key metrics, buoyed by the first-ever quarterly profitability at its Peacock streaming platform and a string of Hollywood hits.

Profit in the second quarter was $1.04 a share, excluding some costs, the Philadelphia-based internet and media company said in a statement on Thursday. That was well ahead of analysts’ average forecast for 97 cents a share, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization fell 13.4% to $8.9 billion. That still beat the $8.84 billion analysts were expecting, on average.

The report is the first from the company since it announced a dramatic plan to spin off NBCUniversalinto a separate company that will house theme parks, the Universal film and television studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks and the Peacock streaming service. While the division came as a surprise to investors, many saw the move as the best way to unlock value at the sprawling company and help revive a flagging share price. Earlier this year, Comcast spun off its cable-TV networks, including MS NOW and CNBC, into a new company called Versant Media Group Inc.

Comcast shares have declined 21% this year, lagging behind the 9.6% gain in the S&P 500 Index.

When the media division separation is complete, Comcast will be back to its foundational roots in broadband internet, wireless and cable television operations, which still account for the bulk of total profit and revenue. The company, headed by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts, has been trying to stanch losses among broadband and cable TV subscribers while expanding its Xfinity Mobile wireless business.

Comcast added 448,000 new mobile lines in the quarter, reaching 10 million wireless customers for the first time. The company’s strategy has been to offer customers free lines for a year, with the vast majority of those users upgrading to paid lines at the end of the trial period.

Broadband and video, however, continued a losing streak amid consistent pressure from cable-TV cord cutters and wireless peers offering cheap, 5G-powered home internet. Comcast recorded a drop of 167,000 domestic residential broadband customers — a deceleration of losses since last year but a steeper decline than the 163,000-loss anticipated by analysts. The company reported a decline of 280,000 customers for domestic video.

In Comcast’s media division, the second quarter provided a plethora of must-see events that boosted revenue by 25%. The NBA playoffs, the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament and the reality-TV dating show Love Island USA helped attract 2 million new subscribers to Comcast’s Peacock streaming service, bringing the total to 48 million. Peacock reported adjusted Ebitda of $189 million in the quarter, far outpacing analysts’ estimates, compared with a loss of $101 million a year earlier. Peacock revenue surged 54% to $1.90 billion.

Films ranging from the blockbuster The Super Mario Galaxy Movie to Obsession, the surprise horror thriller from a YouTube creator, helped push Ebitda in the studios segment to $202 million, up from $61 million a year earlier. Film revenue jumped 25% to $3.04 billion.

Comcast’s parks division hit a slowdown this quarter as higher prices for gas and airline tickets dampened travelers’ enthusiasm. Ebitda for Comcast’s theme parks, which include the new Epic Universe property in Orlando, fell 5.1% year-over-year to $609 million. Analysts had projected parks Ebitda at $674 million.