Market Minute: News Corp Beats the Street, Plans a Spin-Off

A media giant's big cable play pays off, and a heavy dose of caffeine is creating some jitter on Wall Street.

The Dow Industrials and the S&P 500 continued to set record highs. The Dow rose another 49 points yesterday and S&P 500 added 6. The Nasdaq gained 16.

Media giant News Corp (NWS) posted sharply higher earnings, led by strong growth at its Fox television division. The company is in the process of spinning off The Wall Street Journal and the rest of its publishing unit, which posted sharply lower net.

Shareholders of Monster Beverage (MNST) are waking up with a headache. The maker of high-caffeine drinks reported a 17 percent earnings drop, due partly to rising legal costs. The company faces charges that its drinks can cause serious health problems.

Separately, Wrigley says it is temporarily taking its Alert Energy Caffeine Gum off the market while the FDA investigates the safety of added caffeine.

The daily-deals web company Groupon (GRPN) says its loss narrowed and revenue edged higher. The stock is expected to pop at the open, but it's tumbled 78 percent since going public in late 2011.

And Tesla Motors (TSLA) posted its first-ever quarterly profit. The company makes the Model S luxury electric car. The company is trying to become the first successful auto start-up in the US in 90 years. Consumer Reports has given a near perfect rating to the Model S.

Facebook (FB) is reportedly in advanced talks to buy Waze, an Israeli company that provides real-time traffic information. The deal could be valued at up to $1 billion.

Costco (COST) says a key measure of sales rose four percent in April, a bit weaker than expected.

And Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) has extended for another five years its agreement to sell Starbucks (SBUX)-branded beverages for use in Green Mountain's Keurig brewing systems.

-Drew Trachtenberg

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