Description

As of December 4, 2019, Viacom Inc. was acquired by CBS Corporation. Viacom Inc. operates media brands that create entertainment content worldwide. It operates in two segments, Media Networks and Filmed Entertainment. The Media Networks segment offers entertainment content, services, and related branded products to advertisers, content distributors, and retailers through approximately 320 locally programmed and operated television channels, including Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Nick Jr., VH1, TV Land, CMT, Logo, Channel 5, Milkshake!, Telefe, COLORS, Paramount Channel, TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick Music, MTV2, MTV Classic, MTV Live, BET Her, BET Gospel, and BET Hip Hop, as well as through online, mobile, and apps. The Filmed Entertainment segment develops, produces, finances, acquires, and distributes films, television programming, and other entertainment content under the Paramount Pictures, Paramount Players, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Nickelodeon Movies, MTV Films, and BET Films brands. This segment exhibits films theatrically through home entertainment, licensing to television and digital platforms, and ancillary activities. The company releases its content through DVDs, Blu-ray discs, syndication and transactional video-on-demand, subscription video-on-demand, over-the-top distributors, pay television, cable television, free television, and free video-on-demand, as well as airlines and hotels. Viacom Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Statistics (YTD)

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TotalReturn:

'Total return is the amount of value an investor earns from a security over a specific period, typically one year, when all distributions are reinvested. Total return is expressed as a percentage of the amount invested. For example, a total return of 20% means the security increased by 20% of its original value due to a price increase, distribution of dividends (if a stock), coupons (if a bond) or capital gains (if a fund). Total return is a strong measure of an investment’s overall performance.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • The total return, or increase in value over 5 years of Viacom is -62.8%, which is lower, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (88.7%) in the same period.
  • Compared with SPY (77.2%) in the period of the last 3 years, the total return of -28.3% is smaller, thus worse.

CAGR:

'The compound annual growth rate isn't a true return rate, but rather a representational figure. It is essentially a number that describes the rate at which an investment would have grown if it had grown the same rate every year and the profits were reinvested at the end of each year. In reality, this sort of performance is unlikely. However, CAGR can be used to smooth returns so that they may be more easily understood when compared to alternative investments.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Looking at the annual performance (CAGR) of -18% in the last 5 years of Viacom, we see it is relatively smaller, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (13.6%)
  • Compared with SPY (21.2%) in the period of the last 3 years, the annual return (CAGR) of -10.5% is lower, thus worse.

Volatility:

'In finance, volatility (symbol σ) is the degree of variation of a trading price series over time as measured by the standard deviation of logarithmic returns. Historic volatility measures a time series of past market prices. Implied volatility looks forward in time, being derived from the market price of a market-traded derivative (in particular, an option). Commonly, the higher the volatility, the riskier the security.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • The volatility over 5 years of Viacom is 34.9%, which is higher, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (17.1%) in the same period.
  • During the last 3 years, the volatility is 32.4%, which is higher, thus worse than the value of 15.1% from the benchmark.

DownVol:

'Risk measures typically quantify the downside risk, whereas the standard deviation (an example of a deviation risk measure) measures both the upside and downside risk. Specifically, downside risk in our definition is the semi-deviation, that is the standard deviation of all negative returns.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (11.8%) in the period of the last 5 years, the downside risk of 26.5% of Viacom is larger, thus worse.
  • Compared with SPY (10.1%) in the period of the last 3 years, the downside deviation of 23.8% is larger, thus worse.

Sharpe:

'The Sharpe ratio was developed by Nobel laureate William F. Sharpe, and is used to help investors understand the return of an investment compared to its risk. The ratio is the average return earned in excess of the risk-free rate per unit of volatility or total risk. Subtracting the risk-free rate from the mean return allows an investor to better isolate the profits associated with risk-taking activities. One intuition of this calculation is that a portfolio engaging in 'zero risk' investments, such as the purchase of U.S. Treasury bills (for which the expected return is the risk-free rate), has a Sharpe ratio of exactly zero. Generally, the greater the value of the Sharpe ratio, the more attractive the risk-adjusted return.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • The ratio of return and volatility (Sharpe) over 5 years of Viacom is -0.59, which is smaller, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (0.65) in the same period.
  • Compared with SPY (1.23) in the period of the last 3 years, the Sharpe Ratio of -0.4 is lower, thus worse.

Sortino:

'The Sortino ratio measures the risk-adjusted return of an investment asset, portfolio, or strategy. It is a modification of the Sharpe ratio but penalizes only those returns falling below a user-specified target or required rate of return, while the Sharpe ratio penalizes both upside and downside volatility equally. Though both ratios measure an investment's risk-adjusted return, they do so in significantly different ways that will frequently lead to differing conclusions as to the true nature of the investment's return-generating efficiency. The Sortino ratio is used as a way to compare the risk-adjusted performance of programs with differing risk and return profiles. In general, risk-adjusted returns seek to normalize the risk across programs and then see which has the higher return unit per risk.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • The excess return divided by the downside deviation over 5 years of Viacom is -0.77, which is lower, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (0.94) in the same period.
  • During the last 3 years, the downside risk / excess return profile is -0.55, which is smaller, thus worse than the value of 1.84 from the benchmark.

Ulcer:

'The Ulcer Index is a technical indicator that measures downside risk, in terms of both the depth and duration of price declines. The index increases in value as the price moves farther away from a recent high and falls as the price rises to new highs. The indicator is usually calculated over a 14-day period, with the Ulcer Index showing the percentage drawdown a trader can expect from the high over that period. The greater the value of the Ulcer Index, the longer it takes for a stock to get back to the former high.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • The Downside risk index over 5 years of Viacom is 50 , which is higher, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (8.42 ) in the same period.
  • Looking at Ulcer Ratio in of 33 in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively higher, thus worse in comparison to SPY (3.4 ).

MaxDD:

'Maximum drawdown is defined as the peak-to-trough decline of an investment during a specific period. It is usually quoted as a percentage of the peak value. The maximum drawdown can be calculated based on absolute returns, in order to identify strategies that suffer less during market downturns, such as low-volatility strategies. However, the maximum drawdown can also be calculated based on returns relative to a benchmark index, for identifying strategies that show steady outperformance over time.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the maximum reduction from previous high of -68.6 days in the last 5 years of Viacom, we see it is relatively smaller, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (-24.5 days)
  • During the last 3 years, the maximum drop from peak to valley is -51.3 days, which is lower, thus worse than the value of -18.8 days from the benchmark.

MaxDuration:

'The Maximum Drawdown Duration is an extension of the Maximum Drawdown. However, this metric does not explain the drawdown in dollars or percentages, rather in days, weeks, or months. It is the length of time the account was in the Max Drawdown. A Max Drawdown measures a retrenchment from when an equity curve reaches a new high. It’s the maximum an account lost during that retrenchment. This method is applied because a valley can’t be measured until a new high occurs. Once the new high is reached, the percentage change from the old high to the bottom of the largest trough is recorded.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • Looking at the maximum days below previous high of 1245 days in the last 5 years of Viacom, we see it is relatively larger, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (488 days)
  • Compared with SPY (87 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the maximum time in days below previous high water mark of 674 days is greater, thus worse.

AveDuration:

'The Drawdown Duration is the length of any peak to peak period, or the time between new equity highs. The Avg Drawdown Duration is the average amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs), or in other terms the average of time under water of all drawdowns. So in contrast to the Maximum duration it does not measure only one drawdown event but calculates the average of all.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • The average days below previous high over 5 years of Viacom is 618 days, which is larger, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (119 days) in the same period.
  • During the last 3 years, the average time in days below previous high water mark is 310 days, which is higher, thus worse than the value of 19 days from the benchmark.

Performance (YTD)

Historical returns have been extended using synthetic data.

Allocations ()

Allocations

Returns (%)

  • Note that yearly returns do not equal the sum of monthly returns due to compounding.
  • Performance results of Viacom are hypothetical and do not account for slippage, fees or taxes.