Anthony Lee
3 min read
Shares of multinational media and entertainment corporation Paramount (NASDAQ:PSKY) fell 8.4% in the afternoon session after Bank of America lowered its price target for the company, compounding concerns about its financial health following a major acquisition.
The bank’s analysts cut their price objective to $11.00 from $13.00 and kept an “underperform” rating on the stock. This move added to investor worries stemming from Paramount’s recent agreement to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal created a mountain of debt for the combined company, leading credit agencies to sound alarms. Fitch Ratings downgraded the company’s credit to “junk” status, and S&P Global Ratings put it on a “negative watch.” Further pressure came from political scrutiny over the deal’s financing, a significant part of which involved sovereign wealth funds from the Middle East.
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Paramount’s shares are very volatile and have had 27 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 11 days ago when the stock gained 20.5% on the news that its main competitor, Netflix, withdrew from the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the path for Paramount’s acquisition of the media giant. The development came after Warner Bros. Discovery’s board of directors called Paramount’s latest proposal a “Superior Proposal.” Paramount had raised its bid to $31 per share, valuing Warner Bros. Discovery at over $110 billion, including debt. The revised offer also included a $7 billion fee payable if the deal did not get regulatory approval. Netflix announced it would not raise its offer, effectively ending the contest. Investors reacted positively, as the deal was seen by analysts as essential for Paramount to increase its size and better compete with other large media companies.
Paramount is down 21.8% since the beginning of the year, and at $10.31 per share, it is trading 47.8% below its 52-week high of $19.73 from September 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Paramount’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $124.32.
