Shares finished at $13.81 on July 26, up 5.2% from a 52-week low touched on June 13. Still, some analysts spot few factors likely to improve the stock price further, particularly as Reader's Digest's full-year earnings tend to be weighed toward December-quarter results. "We do not see a catalyst for [the] shares near term, given its seasonality and general economic concerns," Merrill Lynch analyst Karl Choi wrote in a July 10 report. Choi has a neutral recommendation on the stock. (Merrill owns 1% or more of Reader's Digest stock and makes a market in the securities.)
Reader's Digest has successfully turned around its QSP youth fund-raising division and could have similar success as it expands operations internationally, according to S&P analyst James Peters, who has a buy recommendation on the stock. In a May 18 report, Peters also points to expected revenue growth from new products and new business ventures, such as recently launched party planning business Taste of Home Entertaining.
