Meredith's Shares Surged: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of publisher and broadcaster Meredith (NYS: MDP) jumped as much as 21% in early trading and remain on a strong 12% plateau amid heavy market action.

So what:First-quarter results, reported early this morning, blew past Street estimates on both the top and bottom lines by modest margins. If that doesn't seem terribly exciting, Meredith also boosted its dividend by 50% and authorized a fresh $100 million share buyback program.

Now what: Digital publishing is the primary driver of stable sales in the face of swooning ad markets, and Meredith will lean on the Apple (NAS: AAPL) iPad and Barnes & Noble (NYS: BKS) Nook Color as hard as possible. With or without that crutch, the parent of Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies' Home Journal, and many other female-centric media brands remains a veritable cash machine -- the new 5.5% dividend yield looks safe.

Interested in more info about Meredith? Click here to add it to My Watchlist.

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