Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-07-29 · Permanent

News Corp (Class A) logoNews Corp (Class A) NWSA

Clears both ethical standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · News Corporation, a media and information services company, creates and distributes authoritative and engaging content, and other products and services for consumers and businesses.

The label
Markup

read at $28.18

News Corp (Class A) holds its Markup at $28.18.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · passes the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-07-29
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateConsolidating, no directional conviction, held for 51 days
Price$28.18
Valuation34.79 trailing · 21.82 forward price to earnings
Values screenPASS · score 84.1
Beta0.90

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Our framework reads AVOID — it trades at roughly a 13% discount to our $31.70 fair value, narrow competitive moat, 8.80% revenue growth.

Read at
$28.18
34.79 P/E · 21.82 fwd
Our fair value
$31.70
13% discount
Analyst target (avg)
$35.00
+24% to current
Target low $29.40Analyst target rangeTarget high $43.00
▲ current $28.18 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$44.9$30.9$16.8TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$43.00 +59%Analyst avg$35.00 +29%Our fair value$31.70 +17%Conservative$26.46 -2%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$28.18
you are here
Conservative
$26.46
-6%
Analyst avg
$35.00
+24%
Our fair value
$31.70
+12%
Analyst high
$43.00
+53%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.

Revenue growth8.80%
Profit margin12.92%
Debt to equity31.56
Analyst consensusNone · 8 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company clears both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. Here is how it did on each:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✓ PASSES
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✓ PASSES

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is just 19.0% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling — it does not run on borrowed money. Pass
  • Interest-bearing cash Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 6.0% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is 25.6% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
  • Revenue purity Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Familiar mastheads still priced for better days

Every morning commuters still reach for the same brand names that once ruled the newsstand. Yet behind those titles sits a business earning just 7% return on equity while growing revenue at 9% and carrying a forward multiple of 22 times. The 12% gap to our fair value looks modest next to the narrow moat and modest profitability.

We pass because the numbers do not clear our bar. A 13% profit margin and single-digit returns do not justify paying near the level the market already assigns, even after the ethical screen clears. The business is stable but offers no edge that would make us stretch for the shares.

Media cycles can shift fast when advertising budgets tighten or readers migrate again. Currency moves across its real-estate and publishing units add further noise. The modest margin of safety does not compensate for those pressures. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E21.8x
expensive even after accounting for its growth
Trailing P/E34.8x
a premium valuation
Revenue growth8.8%
steady growth
Profit margin12.9%
thin but positive margins
Return on equity6.5%
a modest return on shareholder capital
Debt to equity0.32
minimal debt — a conservative balance sheet
Current ratio1.70
healthy short-term liquidity
Beta0.90
steadier than the market
Market cap$15.3B
Employees22,300

The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Related securities · others in NWSA's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

NWSA trades on a US exchange. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 2%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 12%. The street (8 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $35. Entered 2026-07-18 · Distribution

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-18 Distribution $27.26 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 2%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 12%. The street (8 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $35.

2026-07-03 Distribution $27.26 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Distribution $27.26 Entry 1

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed

Most recent filings · NWSA
DateInsiderTitleTypeSharesValue
2026-04-08 AZNAR JOSE MARIA Director 6 ·
2026-04-08 MURDOCH LACHLAN KEITH Director 6 ·
2026-04-08 PESSOA ANA PAULA Director 6 ·
2026-04-08 BANCROFT NATALIE Director 6 ·
2026-04-08 SIDDIQUI MASROOR T. Director 6 ·
2026-04-01 AZNAR JOSE MARIA Director 1,644 ·
2026-04-01 MURDOCH LACHLAN KEITH Director 1,644 ·
2026-04-01 PESSOA ANA PAULA Director 1,644 ·
2026-04-01 BANCROFT NATALIE Director 1,644 ·
2026-04-01 SIDDIQUI MASROOR T. Director 1,644 ·

Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $27.01 +0.4% · $1,004 +0.4%
2 months $24.48 +10.8% · $1,108 +10.8%
3 months $23.58 +15.0% · $1,150 +15.0%
6 months $25.99 +4.4% $0.10 $1,047 +4.7%
1 year $27.75 -2.3% $0.20 $985 -1.5%
2 years $26.80 +1.2% $0.40 $1,027 +2.7%
3 years $18.76 +44.6% $0.60 $1,478 +47.8%
5 years $25.66 +5.7% $1.00 $1,096 +9.6%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever NWSA does next, these words stay.

News Corp (Class A) · NWSA · Markup · $28.18
Recorded 2026-07-29 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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