Pop Stock: Off The Mat
WWEannounced Monday that boxing great Floyd Mayweather will fight Paul “Big Show” Wight during Wrestlemania XXIV. Is there a trade here?
Linda McMahon, World Wresting Entertainment CEO joins the panel for this conversation. Following is a summary of her main points.
How’s it going?
”We came off a really good quarter and strong year. Our revenues were at their highest levels ever,” says McMahon. “And I think that momentum is carrying into the first quarter. In addition, we recently announced an increase in our dividends for our shareholders that are not part of the McMahon family. It’s interesting to note that it’s a split dividend in the sense that the McMahon family is not increasing its dividend. It’s only to the outside shareholders.”
How do you get WWE to the next level?
”I think the dividend is one step,” replies McMahon. “Showing that we have confidence in our company but that we want to take care of investors. And we want long term investors. People who want to participate in the growth and the value. We return 8.3% yield. I think we’re doing incredibly well.”
“And we are growing,” adds McMahon. “We have an international community. I opened a Shanghai office last July. And last quarter we opened in Sydney, Australia. And we’re also opening in Sao Paolo. So we are expanding around the globe. And we just came off a live event in Latin America that did incredibly well.
Would you put someone from Ultimate Fighting into Wrestlemania?
“We’re putting Floyd Mayweather in,” answers McMahon. He’s from the boxing community. If it made sense, if I thought it was a good match, we would do that.
Traders, what do you think of the stock?
All the traders seem to agree, it’s intriguing.
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Trader disclosure: On Feb.25, 2008, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC’s Fast Money were owned by the Fast Money traders: Macke Owns (ATVI), (YHOO), (DIS); Najarian Owns (C), (MS), (MSFT), (XLF), (YHOO); Najarian Owns (CCOI) Calls, (AA) Calls, (NTAP) Calls; Najarian Owns (ACI) Calls; Finerman Owns (GS); Finerman's Firm And Finerman Own (HD); Finerman's Firm Owns (MSFT), (SUN), (TYC), (WMT) (YHOO), (AAPL); Finerman's Firm Is Short (IYR), (IJR), (MDY), (SPY), (IWM), (COF), (LEH); Finerman's Firm Owns Shares Of Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc; WWE Programs Air On Networks Of NBC Universal, The Parent Company Of CNBC; Vivendi Owns 20% Of NBC Universal, The Parent Company Of CNBC; GE Is The Parent Company Of CNBC