Warner Bros. Discovery Today
Warner Bros. Discovery
As of 04:00 PM ET
- 52 week range
- $7.35
▼
$21.56
- P/E ratio
- 70.84
- Price target
- $17.68
In the US entertainment and media industry, there is one unexpected name at the top of the stock market in 2025. And that company is Warner Bros. Discovery Nasdaq: WPD. It generated a total return of about 94%, a number in the top three among large media and entertainment stocks in the United States.
Warner Bros. Its status as a traditional media company is what makes its gains strange. Despite strong growth in its streaming service HBO Max, WBD’s movie studios and linear TV businesses still make up the vast majority of its revenue. The rise of streaming services has severely damaged these companies over the past few years. However, Warner Bros. Something every media company wants, but is difficult to create: content. Now, it appears that Warner Bros. You may be in the midst of a bidding war as companies look to acquire this valuable resource. Below, we’ll discuss this battle that sparked Warner Bros.’ Stocks to rise. Ultimately, is there an opportunity for investors to capitalize on Warner Bros? An enviable position?
Warner Bros. is playing hardball with Paramount Skydance
Most Warner Bros. films The 2025 bull run has come over the past few weeks, with shares up more than 75% since the start of September. The rally actually began on September 11. Reports emerged that Paramount Skydance Nasdaq:Bisky He was preparing a bid aimed at taking over WBD entirely. This sent WBD shares up 55% in three days. Paramount Skydance recently underwent its own merger, backed by Larry Ellison. Ellison has a lot of money, being the co-founder of Oracle and The second richest person in the world.
Paramount Skydance has previously expressed a willingness to pay for content. It signed a $1.1 billion-a-year deal to broadcast the Ultimate Fighting Championship in August, double what ESPN had previously paid. As Paramount Skydance looks to bolster its content library, Warner Bros. Her next target. However, WBD is looking to extract as much money as possible from the potential deal. It is said She rejected an offer of about $24 per share From BSky. Had the deal been accepted, WBD shares would have risen to nearly $24, a nearly 17% premium to their October 22 closing price. If the price another company is willing to pay rises higher, investors will likely see greater gains in the future. This is where Netflix is Nasdaq:NFLX And Comcast Nasdaq: CMC SA Come in.
Netflix and Comcast: WBD’s latest suitors
On October 21, Warner Bros. Shares rose another 11%. This came After the company announced It has begun “a review of potential alternatives to maximize shareholder value.” In other words, the company is listening to offers. Warner Bros. said: It received “unsolicited offers” from “multiple parties” looking to buy some or all of the company. Then the reports came out Netflix and Comcast are among those parties. These are two huge companies that Warner Bros. wants to create. They face off with Paramount Skydance, each of which is valued at more than $100 billion.
Netflix knows that content is king. Access to Warner Bros. The library could be huge for its growth and ambitions to dominate the media. DC Comics, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones are some of the most popular and successful media franchises of all time. Owned by Warner Bros. Comcast could also use this intellectual property to drive growth in its streaming platform Peacock.
However, one of the key questions will be regulatory approval, as a Warner Bros. acquisition would boost a significant amount of the media industry. What will likely be more difficult for Comcast is getting approval.
Warner Bros. Price Chart Discovery, Inc. (WBD) for Thursday, October 23, 2025
WBD CEO is seeking a premium close to 95% during the October 22 price
It seems clear that there is a bidding war underway for Warner Bros. Discovery. Reportedly CEO David Zaslav It seeks an offer of $40 per share For the company. This would represent a premium of approximately 95% to the closing price on October 22. Notably, both Deutsche Bank and Benchmark raised their WBD price targets to $23 and $25, respectively.
Overall, it seems increasingly likely that a Warner Bros. purchase will go through. Over the next few months to a year. If that happens, shareholders could see big gains, especially if Zaslav gets the deal he wants. However, the possibility of the deal not going through represents a huge risk for the stock, as this is the main thing supporting WBD’s share price.
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