These 4 Solid Stocks Stole the Show at the Emmy Awards

At the 70th Primetime Emmy awards, Netflix, Inc. NFLX tied with longtime Emmy darling HBO in total wins. Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN swept clean the comedy category, while Comcast Corporation’s CMCSA NBC finished with 16 Emmys.

This success against a specific set of standards will certainly make these companies stand out.

Netflix and HBO Are Neck and Neck

Whether streaming service provider Netflix or AT&T Inc.’s T premium cable channel HBO will win at this year’s prestigious Emmy awards was being highly speculated lately. And the awards showed that both reached a tie, with each taking 23 of the television industry’s top honors home.

The results showed the rise of Netflix in Hollywood, something that has been dominated by HBO, which had won the maximum number Emmys in the last 16 years. Game of Thrones’ win of the best drama honor for the third time gave HBO its 23rd statuette. But, Netflix outdid HBO in the primetime telecast, winning seven major honors to HBO’s six. Netflix shows, including Black Mirror, Godless and Seven Seconds, fetched a trophy each.

The Emmy battle between Netflix and HBO has been on since 2013 when Netflix launched a political thriller named House of Cards and established it as the most sought-after TV program. HBO, in the meanwhile, led the space with critically acclaimed series like The Sopranos and Sex and the City.

Amazon Cleans Up Comedy Category, NBC Wins Too

Amazon’s Prime Video original program, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, dominated the comedy category with five major awards, including best series, lead actress and supporting actress, and best writing and directing.

While Amy Sherman-Palladino won for both writing and directing the comedy, best actress winner Rachel Brosnahan said that the show is “about a woman who’s finding her voice anew, and it’s something that’s happening all over the country right now.”

Meanwhile, Comcast’s NBC won awards for shows such as Saturday Night Live and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.

What’s Behind the Stocks’ Rally?

Shares of Netflix, AT&T, Amazon and Comcast surged on a stellar show at the Emmys. After all, these wins give streaming service providers and networks bragging rights to apply in marketing to make their shows stand out in a closely-contested TV space. Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon, added that awards do draw people to online shopping. He said that “when we win a Golden Globe, per say, it helps us sell more shoes.”

Shares of Netflix, a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company, rose 4.9% on Sep 18. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 113.6%, way higher than the Broadcast Radio and Television industry’s rally of 18.3%. The stock has outperformed the broader industry in the past year (+98.2% vs +35.5%).

AT&T’s shares also edged up 0.3%, while its anticipated earnings growth for the current quarter and year are 27% and 15.7%, respectively. In fact, the company performed better than the Wireless National industry in the past month (+1.8% vs 1.2%).

Moreover, this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has seen 16 earnings estimates move north, while none moved south for the next year in the last 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings rose 3.2% in the same period.

Amazon’s shares rallied 1.7%. The e-commerce giant’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 290.6%, way ahead of the Internet - Commerce industry’s gain of 9.2%. The stock has outperformed the broader industry in the last one-year period (+99.5% vs +35.2%).

Additionally, the Zacks Rank #2 company has seen 19 earnings estimates move up, while none moved south for the next year in the last 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings soared 39.3% in the same period. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Meanwhile, Comcast saw its shares jump 2.1%. This Zacks Rank #3 company’s projected earnings growth for the current year is 23.8%, way better than the Cable Television industry’s rise of 16.8%. The company has outperformed the broader industry in the past year (+0.8% vs -8.8%).

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