Kate and Justin Merger Moves Markets

FROM STOCKPICKR.COM:

Among the latest rumored celebrity romances to make the gossip rounds is the suggestion that Justin Timberlake, a pop singer with one Emmy and six Grammy awards, and Kate Hudson, a leading actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, are an item. The New York Post speculated over the weekend that the two have been dating secretly for a year, though reps for both denied any romance, according to the paper.

Both Timberlake and Hudson are connected to several publicly-traded companies, either through his celebrity endorsements or her film acting roles, and Stockpickr has compiled a sampling of them in the Kate Hudson and Justin Timberlake Celebrity Merger Stock Index.

Kate Hudson has starred in more than a dozen films, including How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, a 2003 romantic comedy that grossed more than $175 million worldwide. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures, which is owned by Viacom (VIA-B). The stock has a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 16.6 and a P/E-to-growth (PEG) ratio of 1.3.

In 2006, she starred in You, Me and Dupree, which grossed more than $20 million on its opening weekend. The movie was distributed by Universal Studios, which is owned by General Electric (GE). GE offers a P/E ratio of 15.6, a PEG of 1.3 and a yield of 3.7%.

Her latest movie, Fool's Gold, is an adventure romance film from Warner Brothers that has grossed more than $54 million since opening Feb. 8. Warner is owned by Time Warner (TWX), which sports a P/E of 14, a PEG of 1.1 and a yield of 1.5%.