What does the company do?
The Washington Post Company is a diversified education and media company. The Company’s Kaplan, Inc. (Kaplan) subsidiary provides a variety of educational services, both domestically and outside the United States. The Company’s media operations consist of the ownership and operation of cable television systems, newspaper publishing (principally The Washington Post), television broadcasting (through the ownership and operation of six television broadcast stations) and magazine publishing (principally Newsweek). The Company’s operations in geographic areas outside the United States consist primarily of Kaplan’s foreign operations and the publication of the international editions of Newsweek. During the year ended December 31, 2008, these operations accounted for approximately 13% of the Company’s consolidated revenues, and the identifiable assets attributable to foreign operations represented approximately 13% of the Company’s consolidated assets, during 2008.
How much does the company sell and earn?
Investors need to know how much stuff or services a company sells, and how much of that total it keeps as income (or profit) to grow its business or return to shareholders. The more of each, the better. In general, look for companies that sell and earn more than peers.
- Washington Post one-year sales: 4.49 Bil.
Difference from the average for the Publishing - Newspapers group: 14.46% - Washington Post one-year income: 28.96 Mil.
| Sales & Income (past 12 months) | Company | Industry |
|---|
| Sales | 4.49 Bil | 3.93 Bil | | Income | 28.96 Mil | -1.07 Bil |
How fast is the company growing?
- Washington Post one-year sales growth: 1.00%.
- Washington Post one-year income growth: -78.00%.
Difference from the average for the Publishing - Newspapers group: -49.90 pct. pts.| Sales & Income Growth (past 12 months) | Company | Industry |
|---|
| Sales Growth | 1.00% | -8.70% | | Income Growth | -78.00% | -28.10% |
How profitable is the company?
Investors prefer companies that increase profit margins -- the percentage of sales that they keep -- every year. This is accomplished either by lowering expenses or raising prices. Look for companies that consistently find ways to squeeze more profits out of sales than their peers.
- Washington Post one-year net profit margin: 0.6%
Difference from the company's 5-year average net profit margin: -6.3 pct. pts.
| Net profit margins (%) |
|---|
| Company | 0.6% | | Company 5-Yr Avg. | 6.9% | | Industry | -21.6% |
How is the company's financial health?
The debt/equity ratio shows how much a firm has borrowed as a percentage of its stock equity. The lower, the better.
- Washington Post debt/equity ratio: 0.14.
Difference from the average for the Publishing - Newspapers group: -93.99%.
| | Company | Industry |
|---|
| Debt/equity ratio | 0.14 | 2.33 |
|
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