Wunderlich Bullish On Viacom CEO Bakish, Justifies 60% Upside

Redstone-family-controlled National Amusements announced its decision to end efforts to merge Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB) and CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS). “It is now apparent that Shari Redstone (and many investors) are impressed with new CEO Bob Bakish,” Wunderlich’s Matthew Harrigan said in a report. He maintains a Buy rating on Viacom, with a price target of $56.

Viacom's stock price made it difficult to arrive at an exchange ratio with CBS (Rated Buy), analyst Harrigan noted. He added that although investors may be impressed with new CEO Bob Bakish, the market is unlikely to attach any “real credence” to a turnaround at Viacom, until there is “clear improvement manifested in ratings and financials.”

Bullish On CEO Bakish

Bakish is very upbeat on new MTV, VH1 and Logo CEO Chris McCarthy. Moreover, Comedy Central had retained a “distinct and appealing identity,” which was visible at the 20th anniversary of "South Park," which featured characters like Kenny and Cartman, although its ratings were impacted by the losses of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, Harrigan stated.

“Now-permanent CEO Bob Bakish seems high energy and enthusiastic, encouraged by his experience as CEO of Viacom International Media Networks,” the analyst commented.

MTV has generated viewing growth overseas for three consecutive years. New MTV CEO Chris McCarthy, who replaced Sean Atkins, “has achieved strong ratings improvements at VH1 and MTV2,” Harrigan noted.

At last check, Viacom shares were down 0.62 percent at $34.57.

Image Credit: By U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Teddy Wade [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons