Warner Bros Discovery (WBD, Financial) – Media conglomerate Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) was another top detractor in the quarter and for the year. As has been documented in almost every form of media over the last several months, while we and WBD’s board/management knew there were things wrong at Warner Brothers under AT&T, it turned out to be even worse than expected. The aforementioned advertising market is not helping WBD either. While the brand and library values remain intact, the realization of this value has been deferred. With leverage closer to 5x than the sub-4x we thought we would be looking at in 2023, the market’s judgment has been harsh. We remain confident in management and growing free cash flow from here, with eight different insiders buying shares personally this year. We encourage you to listen to Partners Fund PM Ross Glotzbach interviewing WBD CEO and President David Zaslav in the latest episode of the Price-to-Value Podcast.
From Mason Hawkins (Trades, Portfolio)' Longleaf Partners Fund fourth-quarter 2022 letter.
