Sirius XM Radio (SIRI) operates commercial-free satellite radio stations in the United States under the brand names SIRIUS radio and XM Satellite radio. The company’s offerings, which are provided on a subscription basis, include more than 135 channels of CD-quality music, sports, news, and talk shows, as well as traffic and weather channels.
As of Dec. 31, 2011, the company had 21.9 million subscribers, up by 1.7 million compared to Dec. 31, 2010.
The company’s music programming offers an extensive selection of music genres, ranging from rock, pop and hip-hop to country, jazz, Latin and classical. Sirius XM Radio also provides special musical features, such as its Artist Confidential series, which provide interviews and performances from some of the better-known names in music.
Sirius also offers a wide range of sports programming. For example, the company is the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, the PGA Tour and NASCAR.
In addition, the company broadcasts most major college sports, including NCAA Division I football and basketball games. It also provides coverage of soccer matches from the Barclays English Premier League, and it airs FIS Alpine Skiing and horse racing events.
Sirius offers a wide range of national, international and financial news, including news from BBC World Service News, Bloomberg Radio, CNBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, NPR and World Radio Network.
In regard to talk radio, the company offers shows from well-known personalities such as Howard Stern, Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, and Barbara Walters.
The company also offers comedy shows, including Jamie Foxx’s The Foxxhole and Blue Collar Comedy, as well as programming for children, including Kids Place Live and Radio Disney.
In addition to the diverse program offerings outlined above, Sirius offers continuous, local traffic reports for 20 metropolitan markets throughout the United States on the SIRIUS service and 22 metropolitan markets on the XM service. Sirius also provides local weather reports from The Weather Channel.
Revenues and earnings
Sirius generates the majority of its revenues from subscription fees associated with agreements that the company has with automobile manufacturers, whereby it offers its satellite radios as factory or dealer-installed equipment in vehicles produced by every major automaker.
The company also derives revenue from the sale of advertising on select non-music channels and from the sale of its satellite radios through its web site and via retail outlets, such as Best Buy, RadioShack, and Wal-Mart.
After losing money every year from 2006 to 2009, Sirius turned a profit during 2010 and the company substantially increased its earnings during the first nine months of 2011.
Specifically, the company grew its net profit by 186 percent, to $355.6 million during the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2011 from $124.5 million during the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2010 on a 7.2 percent increase in the company’s revenues.
On a per share basis, the company’s earnings rose 150 percent, to 5 cents per diluted share for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2011 from 2 cents during the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2011.
Looking forward, I expect Sirius to continue to increase its sales and earnings this year in response to a likely acceleration in U.S. auto sales and to an agreement that the company signed recently with AutoNation, the largest automotive dealer in the United States.
In regard to the AutoNation agreement, that auto dealer’s customers will be eligible to receive a three-month SiriusXM subscription when they purchase a pre-owned vehicle with a factory-installed satellite radio, regardless of make or model, from participating AutoNation dealerships across the United States.
If my forecast turns out to be correct, there’s a good chance that Sirius XM Radio will appreciate sharply from the recent price of $2.05 per share.
Short-term traders should note, however, that SIRI appears to be trading at an extended price and is in substantial overbought territory. Therefore, I expect the stock to pull back a bit before moving higher.
About the Author: David Frazier
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