Trump Drives New York Times Traffic

Following the election of President Trump, and since our previous article on the potential of "The Aging Gray Lady," shares of the New York Times (NYSE:NYT) have continued to see a boost from political turmoil.

Much to Trump's dismay, The New York Times' readership, status among the left, and share price have been on a roll since November 8, 2016.

It seems as if the is poised to keep benefiting from the momentum created by the U.S. President's actions, tweets and comments.

The latest Trump-related event to result in a boost of NYT shares is his decision to pull the United States from the Paris Climate Accord, which was signed by nearly all members of the United Nations after the historic 2015 Climate Change Conference.

Trump's decision has been highly controversial, given former President Barack Obama's strong support of the deal (along with most UN member nations) and subsequent growth in domestic alternative energy projects and jobs.

As expected, The New York Times offered detailed coverage, insight, analysis, and opinion as Trump made his announcement. As headlines were published around the world, the NYT coverage was heavily referenced by journalists and international news media outlets; this has become the norm in the Trump era.

Share Price Rally

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In the month preceding Trump's Paris Agreement decision, shares of NYT rallied from $14.30 on May 2 to $17.35 on June 6th; the jump also corresponds with a barrage of headline on possible Russian meddling in the U.S. election and a host of other issues.

This week's testimony by our headline-seeking fired FBI Director Comey will continue to generate active readership for the paper.

The correlation between the Presidential opinion of the newspaper and the positive reaction of NYT shares, which are close to 50 percent higher since the election, is clear: "fake news" is good news for NYT shareholders.

Attacks on the newspaper's reputation by the U.S. President have done quite a bit to improve readership and revenue from online advertising.

NYT Reports Growth On Several Fronts

In early May, NYT reported significant growth in digital subscriptions and advertising revenue even as its print business continues to decline. Digital paid subscriptions exceeded 2.2 million, a 62.2 percent year over year increase. This translates to enormous opportunities for advertising profit.

Moreover, the newspaper is streamlining its newsroom operations and offering buyouts to seasoned journalists; at the same time, it is reorganizing its editing strategy to involve fewer copy editors. Thus far, shareholders have been happy with these developments.

Well Situated Among Competitors

Compared with rivals Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME), Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP), and CBS Corporation (NYSE:CBS), NYT is well positioned on a P/S basis.

(Source: Morningstar.com)

Conclusion: Further Upside Ahead

On Wall Street, NYT shares have become day traders' delight due to heavy volume, and it is easy to see why momentum and event traders follow this stock. Yet value investors should also take notice of the positive developments since November 2016 -- and particularly its strong position relative to rivals.

Reported growth, coupled with Trump's momentum, situates NYT as a solid buy.

We recommend investors initiate or add to existing long positions.