News Corp. outlook cut by analysts

Shares of media company News Corp., controlled by Rupert Murdoch, fell the most in five years after Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. and UBS analysts cut their outlook for the stock, citing concerns that growth will slow.

Bernstein’s Michael Nathanson reduced his 12-month share-price target to $21 from $24 and lowered his rating to “market perform” from “outperform” in a note Monday. UBS’s Michael Morris cut his price projection to $25 from $26.

Profit growth is likely to slow because the MySpace social-networking website will fail to meet targets, Nathanson wrote. Dow Jones & Co., acquired in December, will require additional investment and might be slow to turn around because of weak newspaper advertising, he wrote.

“We are wary of News Corp.’s relative positioning in this intensely competitive business that features established players including Google and Yahoo,” Morris said.

Class A shares of the New York company fell 86 cents to $18.14.