Mandatory News

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Kelly Rowland's Mother Doris Rowland Garrison Passes Away

It's been a difficult week for the Rowland family, to say the least.

E! News has learned that Kelly Rowland's mother, Doris Rowland Garrison, passed away Tuesday in Atlanta after going into cardiac arrest the day prior. She was 66.

The former Destiny's Child star's publicist confirmed the tragic news. "It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my mother, Doris Rowland Garrison. She was an incredible soul who made countless sacrifices so that I could become the womanand now motherI am today," Rowland said in a statement Wednesday. "We humbly appreciate all the love and support and only ask for privacy during this difficult time."

The family death comes just weeks after the songstressgave birth to sonTitan Jewell Weatherspoon, her first child with hubbyTim Weatherspoon.

Less than one day after Kelly became a mother, the third member of the ladies' former girl group,Michelle Williams,gushed to E! News about the birth.

PHOTOS: Fallen stars of 2014

"She's doing very well," she shared with us. "Kelly's going to be an amazing mom. She's always been great with children. She loves babysitting, she loves buying stuff for kids. She has such a big heart. She's a giver and a nurturing person and, really, that's what motherhood is all about."

Meanwhile, Beyonc posted a shot of Titan's hand on Instagram shortly after the birth and wrote a heartfelt message to the little one.

"There's no better feeling than holding my beautiful nephew," Bey wrote. "I thank G*d for the honor of witnessing my sisters journey into motherhood. I've always dreamt of our little ones growing up together. I'm so thankful for our bond. Baby Ty, I love you so much. Congrats to my Spoons."

PHOTOS:Stars and their parents

Lego Batman 3 makes the Suicide Squad more family friendly

DC supervillain team the Suicide Squad is coming to Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham with downloadable content in 2015, albeit as a more PG unit simply called The Squad, Warner Bros. Interactive announced today.

The Suicide Squad is a group of DC villains working on high-risk missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences. In Lego Batman 3, players will get access to Deadshot, Deathstroke, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang and more.

"A mysterious figure has infiltrated Belle Reve Penitentiary, and it's up to players to smash their way through the prison ... to hunt down this infiltrator before Amanda Waller's and The Squad's secrets are uncovered," the announcement reads.

The DLC, which includes additional vehicles and achievements, will be available for PlayStation 3, PS4, Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. DLC is available for $2.99 separately, or as part of the $14.99 season pass.

Warner Bros. Picturesrecently confirmed that it will bring the Suicide Squad to the big screen in a 2016 film. The cast includes Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Tom Hardy, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevingne.

Source: http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/4/7333713/lego-batman-3-suicide-squad

How 'Suicide Squad' Stands Out From the Comic Book Movie Pack

As most of you know, Warner Bros. (Time Warner Time Warner Inc.) confirmed the cast for what is turning out to be a star-studded adaptation of the Suicide Squad comic book. While it is one of basically three bad guys on a mission superhero movies in development (along with Sony Sonys Sinister Six and Walt Disney's Walt Disney'srumored stand-alone Star Wars film centered on bounty hunters stealing the Death Star plans in the pre-A New Hope era), DC Comics villains forced to work together adventure clearly has the momentum.

Whats interesting about the project, aside from being likely the first such super-villain team-up film to actually happen is that it represents something of an inversion of the usual superhero movie pattern up to now. This wont be come see the heroes or villains you love, but rather come see a bunch of movie stars (Will Smith! Tom Hardy! Possibly Oprah Winfrey!) playing comic book baddies!

Now of course the Suicide Squad movie, which will be written and directed by David Ayers and released on August 5th, 2016, wont be the first time weve seen movie stars playing comic book bad guys. Heck, the sub-genre was basically founded on the concept, with Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor offering prestige to Richard Donners Superman: The Movie in 1978 and Jack Nicholson earning $50 million (thanks to getting a cut of the merchandise sales) as The Joker in Tim Burtons Batman. But none the less, the core selling point for most superhero films over the last twenty-five years, as especially in the last fifteen years (post-X-Men) was the idea of seeing your favorite four-color heroes and villains in glorious live-action. To wit, few saw Hulk because they were huge fans of Eric Bana, Nick Nolte, or Jennifer Connelly, as ridiculously good as they were in Ang Lees somewhat underrated drama. The presence of known movie stars like Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, and Kirsten Dunst were bonuses for sure in 2002, but most of the $821 million-worth of moviegoers who flocked to see Spider-Man did so because it was (at-long-last) a Spider-Man movie. Ditto Batman Begins, X-Men, and the various Marvel films (Captain America, Thor, etc.).

You could argue a few exceptions here and there (Wesley Snipes in Blade, Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, etc.), but as a general rule, the appeal was rooted in the iconic characters first and who was playing them an often distant second. Thats what makes Suicide Squad unique. The vast majority of general moviegoers wont be going to see the likes of Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, or Rick Flag, but rather going to see the well-known actors playing them. Will Smith is of course one of the biggest movie stars in the world, so the idea of him playing a comic book villain is a selling point all-by-itself. Its a coup for Warner Bros., as is the overall scope of the rest of the cast. While Smith is the only box office movie star of the group, the likes of Tom Hardy (Rich Flag) and Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang) are somewhat known names that will cause at least a token curiosity, especially as they are in one movie together, along with whomever gets cast as devious government operative Amanda Waller (I would go with Octavia Spencer, but if they can get Oprah Winfrey thats so much free publicity).

Now the two big names I left off arguably constitute come for the character exceptions. To wit, despite my pleas that Kristen Ritter be cast as Harley Quinn, they went with (the completely acceptable even if Im tempted to play the part of entitled comic book nerd fan-caster just this once) Margot Robbie. She is best known for Wolf of Wall Street and soon to be seen alongside Will Smith in the con artist drama Focus. Now the inclusion of mega-fan favorite character Harley Quinn is arguably the films secret weapon, but now it looks like she may be overshadowed by her boyfriend, a potentially ironic development that Ill wait before casting judgment upon.

On that note, Warner Bros. has recast The Joker to play a role (size unknown) in this all-star super-villains to the rescue caper, and it will apparently be the Clown Prince of Crimes introduction in the new DC universe. As rumored a month ago (nice scoop, The Wraps Jeff Sneider), the part will go to Jared Leto, hot off his Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club. The casting of Leto as The Joker is encouraging in that DC and Warner Bros. are not afraid of redefining the role in the wake of Heath Ledgers Oscar-winning turn in The Dark Knight any more than Chris Nolan and company were afraid of Jack Nicholsons shadow or any voice over artists (Kevin Michael Richardson, Jeff Bennett, John DiMaggio, etc.) were afraid of the long shadow cast by Mark Hamill. The show must go on, and there is no way Warner Bros. is leaving out the most iconic fictional villain in modern literary history because of fears that the role should somehow be retired because Ledger died soon after playing it. I have no idea what kind of Joker Jared Leto will be, and thats a bit exciting (I will forever applaud Warners courage if they go with the recent Joker cut off his own face and now wears it as a mask incarnation).

The use of Harley Quinn is of course a major deal to the countless fans who grew up on the character either in Batman: The Animated Series or the various comic book offshoots which incorporated her character into the modern continuity starting back in 1999. Also of note, it is alleged that Jesse Eisenbergs Lex Luthor will make an appearance in the film. So, Isuppose this means, spoiler I guess, that he doesnt die in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. But its likely that The Joker will have a small role in the picture and putting him aside the focus will be on the mostly unknown (to the masses) characters, which means unlike most superhero films the marketing hook will be the movie stars on display in tights rather than the characters they are playing. The marketing for Suicide Squad will be Come see Will Smith, Tom Hardy, and (Octavia Spencer/Viola Davis or Oprah Winfrey as Amanda Waller)! rather than Come see Deadshot, Rick Flagg, and Amanda Waller! It will be as much a star vehicle for Will Smith as a superhero/super-villain ensemble picture.

This is frankly unusual for the sub-genre that arguably helped mortally wound the star system. Yes, it is star + concept for sure, as Will Smith as a comic book super-villain will arguably make more money than Will Smith as a con man who trains a young protg and falls in love. But in a genre built on the likes of Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Henry Cavill as Superman, and Christian Bale as Batman (yes, I loved American Psychotoo, but look at his box office track record prior to playing Batman), the fact that were seeing a comic book adventure predicated on pure star power first and not-so-iconic characters second is interesting in-and-of-itself. That, beyond even the also notable super-villains forced to go on black-ops missions by shady government operatives hook, is what separates Suicide Squad from the back. It is the rare modern comic book superhero movie that will be sold primarily on the back of its movie stars.

Also on Forbes:

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Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2014/12/03/how-suicide-squad-stands-out-from-the-comic-book-movie-pack/

Bill Cosby has defenders, thanks them on Twitter

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Bill Cosby receives support from Jill Scott, Whoopi Goldberg
Cosby has been accused of rape by a number of women
Public opinion has generally been against Cosby

(CNN) -- The court of public opinion has hardly been supportive of Bill Cosby, but the 77-year-old comedian still has his defenders.

Last week, singer Jill Scott engaged with several people on her Twitter account after being approached to sign a petition asking Temple University to cut its ties with Cosby.

Cosby, who attended the school and served on its board, has been accused of rape by a number of women in recent weeks. Through his attorneys, he has repeatedly denied the claims.

Cosby facing litany of allegations

"oh ok. So they've proven the alleged allegations? I didn't know. Will they also be giving him back the millions he's donated?" Scott tweeted to the petition request.

On Sunday, Scott responded to criticism with another tweet.

"u know Bill Cosby? I do child and this is insane. Proof. Period," she wrote.

Cosby resigned from the Temple board of trustees on Monday, but his Twitter account, @BillCosby, took note of Scott's support Wednesday morning.

"Thank you @MissJillScott, from the Cosby Family," read the tweet.

Cosby also thanked Whoopi Goldberg. On the November 17 edition of "The View," Goldberg said that people should be skeptical of what they hear.

"Quite honestly, you know, look, I'm sorry, having been on both sides of this where people allege that you do something, it doesn't matter now," Goldberg said after the "View" panel discussed the allegations of Cosby accuser Barbara Bowman. "The cat is out of the bag; people have it in their heads. I have a lot of questions for the lady. Maybe she'll come on."

"Thank you @WhoopiGoldberg," responded @BillCosby on Tuesday.

Cosby also received support from comedian Faizon Love, though Love's tweets have been more inflammatory.

"you sorry porch monkey deserve everything you get...you gonna stand up for this b*tch and and not a man like Mr. Cosby," he wrote on November 22 in response to a person criticizing Cosby.

After some back and forth, Love said he doesn't believe in trying Cosby in the media.

"Let me be clear, I don't support rape, but @billcosby has been convicted in the media & that is unjust as well #DueProcess," Love tweeted.

Love even went so far as to post "I support Bill Cosby" in large letters on his Instagram account.

The stories of Cosby's purported crimes have been around for about a decade, but in the past two months, they've received new life, stoked particularly by a routine by comedian Hannibal Buress that went viral and a social media stunt that went awry.

At least 18 women have spoken publicly accusing the comedian of sexual misconduct, and many of the women say he drugged them before he raped them. Some of the alleged attacks took place decades ago.

Cosby's attorney, Martin D. Singer, has repeatedly denied the claims. Singer said in a statement to CNN that it defies common sense that "so many people would have said nothing, done nothing, and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they had been assaulted over a span of so many years."

On Tuesday, a woman named Judy Huth filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming sexual battery and infliction of emotional distress during an incident at the Playboy Mansion, according to the documents first obtained by Radar Online (PDF).

The alleged sexual assault took place in 1974, when Huth was 15 years old.

Michael Bilello, a crisis management strategist, doesn't think the celebrity support will make much difference in changing the public's opinion of Cosby.

"The public impression made by Cosby's continuous PR blunders, compounded by the parade of accusers giving detailed accounts, it's certainly created an image that I believe is beyond character endorsements by celebrity personalities," he said.

"There are some loyal friends that, while you respect them standing by their man, (Cosby's) actions -- or inactions -- speak louder than their words."

CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin, Ben Brumfield, Dana Ford, Ronni Berke, Katia Hetter and Ed Payne contributed to this story.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/bill-cosby-defenders/

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Cloud Services Compared: Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, and Amazon ...

Its hard to believe that we used to store our computer files on floppy disks. But these days everything is in the cloud and accessible from virtually every device.

Of course, not all cloud platforms are created equal. The key is to make sure that you pick the cloud storage service that best suits your needs. From gobs of space to gorgeous photo views to excellent collaboration tools, each one has something different to offer, so we broke down the most popular options so you can learn which would be right for you and your files.

Dropbox

2 GB for free, Dropbox Pro with 1 TB of space is $9.99 per month

Theres no doubt that Dropbox is usually the first option that comes to mind for online storage, and for good reason it just works.

Dropbox for iPad

Dropbox is available on Android, Apple (iPhone and iPad), Blackberry, and Kindle Fire devices (sorry Windows Mobile users). The app is simple to use; largely going without any bells and whistles beyond an integrated file viewer and the ability to star individual files to ensure that theyre available for offline viewing if you lose your data connection. You can share individual files by email, Facebook, or Twitter, print, or open them in compatible apps.

The service may also be a must for you if you use certain other apps such as 1Password, which relies on Dropbox on the backend to synchronize passwords between devices. This is becoming less of an issue as Apples cloud services improve, though that can be bad news for those with multiple Apple accounts (one personal, one corporate).

One of the biggest advantages of Dropbox is the fact that you can earn a lot of additional storage through referrals, but that may not be as exciting these days since all of your friends probably already use Dropbox too. Its still a great option that is easy to use, and while it would be nice to have some more features on the mobile apps, there arent really any downsides worth mentioning.

Google Drive

15 GB free, 100 GB for $1.99 per month, 1 TB for $9.99 per month, up to 30 TB for $299.99 per month

If you already use Gmail (and who doesnt these days?) then you already have a Google Drive account, and youre probably already using it even if you didnt know it. Google Drive is a cloud storage service that provides space shared between your Gmail inbox (for email attachments) and any documents and photos you upload to the service. The good news is that any documents you create with Google Docs/Sheets/Slides, as well as any photos smaller than 2048 x 2048 pixels, dont use any of your storage space.

Google Drive

Like the other cloud storage apps covered in this article, Google Drive mobile apps are available for a variety of platforms, including Android, Apple (iPhone and iPad) and Windows and Mac computers. The app has grid and list view options, and tapping on the I information icon brings up a small preview window along with all of your options, including Share, Remove, Move To, Print, Unstar, Rename, Export, and Get Link. You can keep on your device in case you lose your Internet connection, and see when the file was last modified.

One of the nicest features of the app is the ability to see exactly who has access to a particular file, including whether they have editing privileges. You can turn link sharing on or off as well to restrict access between anyone who has the documents link or a select group. If you need to edit a file, you can open it in a compatible app on your device.

Google Drive has the advantage of offering lots of free space, not to mention the fact that you may not even have to sign up for the service because you probably already have a Google account. It doesnt have the nice photo view that Dropbox offers, but is mostly the same as far as features are concerned.

Microsoft OneDrive

15 GB for free, 100 GB for $1.99 per month, 1 TB (including Office 365) for $6.99 per month

If you have a Microsoft account or use Outlook.com for email, you may already have access to Microsoft OneDrive. Like Google Drive, OneDrive offers 15 GB of space for free, though theres also the possibility of earning additional free space by referring friends to the service or turning on automatic camera backup on a mobile device.

Microsoft OneDrive

The mobile apps are a little bare bones right now, with little more than the ability to choose File, Photo, Recent, or Shared views. Once you select an individual file or photo, you can choose to share it with someone else, trash it, move it to another folder, download it, or open it in another app.

On Apple devices, OneDrive can be strongly tied to Office for iPad, and is the best way to manage files created or edited by the iOS versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Microsoft OneDrive works as advertised, and its certainly a good option for those who are already using Microsofts other services. If you need extra space it becomes even more attractive, because the $7 monthly plan also includes full access to Office 365.

Box

10 GB for free, 100 GB for $10 a month; Business & Corporate plans also available

Box (formerly Box.net) has a lot to offer when it comes to mobile file access. Like its competitors, it automatically backs up all of your Windows and Mac desktop files, just as you would expect.

Box

Where Box really shines is in sharing and collaboration. Theres an update feed that shows when new files have been added or existing files have been edited in shared folders, and sharing folders is as easy as emailing a link from within the mobile app.

Box is also integrated into more than 1,000 mobile apps so its easy to edit your files and keep them all in one place. And of course everything stays secure, thanks to an optional passcode and individual permissions on shared folders.

You can access your files from mobile devices by using the mobile version of the Box web site or by downloading the platform-specific app for your device (its available for iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry). The file viewer is very good, and allows you to preview video files from within the Box app or open them in any other supported app you have on your device. You can also add comments to any file (which is especially useful for business collaboration), rename, move, copy, or delete.

Box is constantly being improved with the addition of new features its definitely worth a look for those who want just a little more flexibility than Dropbox offers, or for those who just dont want to follow the herd. Its also a good option for extreme cheapskates, because Box offers five times more free storage for personal accounts than Dropbox.

Amazon Cloud Drive

5 GB free, plans start at 20 GB for $10 a year and go up to 1,000 GB for $500 a year; Prime members, Fire Phone users, and Fire tablet owners get unlimited photo storage

Amazon Cloud Drive

The photo storage features in Amazons online-storage service are particularly robust you can delete photos from your phone and still access them with the free Cloud Drive iOS and Android apps. Photos are automatically backed up to the cloud so youll never have to worry about losing them, even if you lose your phone or tablet. The timeline feature makes it fast and easy to find what youre looking for just swipe from the right side of the screen to bring it up. Hold your tablet in portrait mode and youll get a grid view, or try landscape mode for a beautiful tiled view perfect for sharing your favorite shots with friends and family.

At this time, theres no way to fully access any documents that youve stored in Amazons cloud service on your mobile device. You can use your web browser to access the Cloud Drive web site and view spreadsheets, but theres no way to download the original files into another app such as GoodReader, Pages, or Numbers.

Hopefully there will be a full Amazon Cloud Drive app available in the future, but until then the Amazon Cloud Drive Photos app is great for photo buffs, especially those who already have a Prime account and can take advantage of the unlimited storage option.

Source: http://www.tabletpcreview.com/feature/cloud-services-compared-google-drive-onedrive-dropbox-box-amazon/

Why Americans are loading up on cars

The rest of the economy may be stuck in the slow lane, but the auto industry is on a tear.

Auto sales in November continued to strengthen, hitting an annualized rate of 17.1 million vehicles, according to Reuters, which is comparable to the boom year of 2006.

Even better news for the automakers: the average buyer paid about $33,750 for a vehicle in November, the highest average transaction price on record, according to car-research site KBB.com. The biggest beneficiaries are General Motors (GM) and Chrysler (FCAU) which are selling pickup trucks and SUVs as if gas were once again below $3 per gallon. (Wait. It is!)

The strength in auto sales is surprising given that a lackluster recovery following the 2007-2009 recession has left the typical family with less wealth and disposable income, at the same time the soaring cost of healthcare and other essentials demands more of the family budget. Still, the American love affair with cars seems to persist, despite many premature reports of its demise. Here are three reasons cars sales have been so strong:

Auto loans are the only kind of credit many people can get. The total amount of auto loans outstanding has hit new highs in 2014, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The only other credit category thats been growing like that is student loans, and many of those are subsidized by the government. Other types of credit, including credit cards, mortgages and home-equity loans, are still well below pre-recession levels, with some people unable to qualify for loans and others simply cutting back on debt.

Grand Cherokee finally has a diesel - maybe too much diesel.

Subprime loansthose granted to the riskiest borrowersaccount for about 20.4% of all auto loans, according to credit-monitoring firm Experian. Thats a fairly high level that has prompted some concern about an auto-lending bubble that could end in a spasm of defaults and repossessions. But auto-loan default rates have fallen steadily since 2010, as buyers prioritize car payments above other obligations. Lenders may be aided by new technology that allows lenders to electronically disable a vehicle from afar if the buyer has falleb behind on payments. And there are no signs yet of a subprime bubble about to burst.

Meanwhile, the average term of a loan has crept up to five-and-a-half years, according to Experianthe longest everwhile interest rates, averaging about 4.5%, remain extremely low. A combination of relatively easy credit, lengthier loan terms and very low rates has helped new-car buyers borrow an average of $28,000 while keeping the monthly payment at about $470. Thats just about the best deal car buyers have had in decades. With many people locked out of mortgages and resigned to renting, a shiny new SUV may be the new starter home.

[Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App]

Gas is cheap. Car buyers have short memories, and when gas prices fall, theres almost always a correlating surge in sales of larger, less thrifty vehicles. Thats been happening for the last five months, with pump prices free-falling from a national average of nearly $3.70 in June to about $2.75 now, and hefty rides such as the GMC Yukon, Ford Explorer and Ram pickup notching impressive sales gains. Larger SUVs and pickups have much bigger profit margins than economy cars or sedans, which makes the latest drop in oil prices an unexpected boon for automakers.

This undated photo provided by General Motors shows the 2015 GMC Yukon Denali. General Motors, which sells more

Cars are old. Despite all the new vehicles purchased, the average car on the road is more than 11 years old, according to IHS Automotive. Cars last much longer than they used to, but still need to be replaced so riders have a reliable way to get to work and bring the kids to soccer practice. With the average age of a car still rising over time, analysts expect sales to remain strong in 2015 and beyond as buyers upgrade.

Theres always something that could throw the auto industry into reverse. Interest rates could shoot up, the subprime market could collapse or gas prices could skyrocket all over again. But it seems more likely that automakers will sustain cruising speed as the economic recovery improves. Our love affair with cars has a few more miles to go.

Rick Newmans latest book is Rebounders: How Winners Pivot From Setback To Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGMOK6lea4CZgtCVjPM62Krb7IaUA&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52778673090810&ei=uXl_VJGJF6al8QGcp4CIAg&url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-americans-are-loading-up-on-cars-175803069.html

Here Are The Factors Underlying Our $163 Price Estimate For LinkedIn's Stock

LinkedIn reported impressive results in the third quarter, with revenue rising by 45% and adjusted EBITDA margin expanding by 300 basis points annually. Its stock price has risen by around 15% since these results were reported. In this article, we assess the key factors underlying our $163 price estimate for LinkedIns stock, which represents around 30% discount to the current market price.

In our valuation model, we expect the companys revenue to surge from around $2.2 billion in 2014 to over $7.0 billion by the end of our forecast period, driven by broad-based growth across all the business segments. The companys strategies to redesign member profiles, grow the mobile ecosystem and publisher network, expand jobs listings, and foray into newer geographies and user demographics, will spur engagement and monetization on the platform. In addition, we estimate LinkedIns adjusted EBITDA margins will rise from 26% in 2014 to 49% in the long-run, as revenue growth should outpace increase in operating expenses. We also forecast a rapid decline in capital expenditure as a percentage of gross profit over the coming years.

We believe LinkedIns revenue will have to grow to over $9 billion and the adjusted EBITDA margin will have to expand to over 55% by 2021 to justify the current market price. Hence, we advise investors to think twice before getting into the stock at these levels. Any failure to meet (or surpass) expectations in the coming earnings releases could send the stock stumbling.

See our complete analysis for LinkedIn

Revenue Is Estimated To Rise By A CAGR Of 20% Over 2014-2021

Year 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Revenue (forecast in $ millions) 2,208 2,862 3,520 4,187 4,894 5,625 6,392 7,110

Though we project LinkedIns revenue to surge by 44% and 30% in 2014 and 2015 respectively, we expect the growth rate to slow down over the latter years due to higher base and tougher y-o-y comparisons. We expect broad-based growth across all the business segments, namely Talent Solutions, Marketing Solutions and Premium Subscriptions. New customer additions and price hikes, along with a ramp up in the sales workforce, will contribute to growth in the Talent Solutions segment. And the other segments will benefit from factors such as high demand for sponsored updates, contributions from recently acquired businesses, and the addition of new features on the platform.

LinkedIn is undertaking several strategic steps to enhance its demand such as: raising the number of job listings on its platform drastically, developing a multi-app portfolio, building a publishing platform, and expanding across demographic groups and geographies. LinkedIn started aggregating job listings this year from other sites, taking the number of job listings on its platform from 1 million at the end of Q2 to over 2 million currently.It also rolled out multiple mobile applications including connected and Job Search during the year to increase the share of traffic from mobile devices. In addition, it also launched a publishing network and the weekly long-form posts surpassed 40,000 recently. We expect these initiatives to boost member additions and engagement levels, enhancing LinkedIns appeal among both recruiters and marketers.

Expansion in geographies (such as China) and in different demographic groups (such as students) will catapult LinkedIn to the next level of growth. We think delivering the right product for this huge audience group could result in large-scale member additions. While we forecast revenue to surpass $7 billion by 2021, in case it grows much faster to $9 billion, then it would lead to a 25% increase in our valuation for the companys stock.

Profitability Is Expected To Improve

Year 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Adjusted EBITDA margin (forecast) 26% 30% 33% 36% 39% 43% 46% 49%

We forecast LinkedIns profitability to rise consistently by 300-400 basis points annually during our forecast period. We expect this improvement to be driven by decrease in R&D and SG&A expenses as a percentage of gross profit, as the growth in latter should outpace increase in operating expenses in the future. The operating expenses could grow at a slower pace over the coming years, as the business becomes relatively more mature. We believe LinkedIn will have to expend lesser resources on expansion, data centers, and product development in the coming years. In the event, adjusted EBITDA margin improves more dramatically to over 60% by the end of our forecast period, it would represent more than 20% increase in our price estimate to $200.

Capital Expenditure As A % Of Gross Profit Will Come Down

Year

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Capex as % of Gross Profit 21% 19% 17% 15% 14% 13% 12%

11%

We believe capital expenditure will grow in absolute terms over our forecast period, as LinkedIn will have to invest in technology upgrades to keep pace with the growth in user data. However, as the company slows down its expansion phase in the coming years, capex requirement as a percentage of gross profits is expected to diminish during our forecast period.

Our readers can tweak the estimates in our valuation model to see the impact on LinkedIns valuation.

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Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/12/02/here-are-the-factors-underlying-our-163-price-estimate-for-linkedins-stock/