You've probably typed "price of CBS stock" into a search bar and felt a little bit like you were chasing a ghost. Honestly, I don’t blame you. If you go looking for "CBS" on the New York Stock Exchange today, you aren't going to find it.
The old ticker is gone.
Since the massive re-merger with Viacom back in late 2019, the legacy "CBS Corporation" stopped existing as a standalone public entity. It morphed into ViacomCBS, which then rebranded again to Paramount Global. So, when we talk about the price of CBS stock in 2026, we’re really talking about PARA (or the newer PSKY ticker depending on which part of the Skydance merger fallout you're watching).
As of mid-January 2026, the stock has been a wild ride. We are looking at a price hovering around $11.80.
The Identity Crisis: Why the Ticker Matters
It's kinda weird to think that one of the most iconic brands in American broadcasting doesn't have its own spot on the ticker tape. But that’s the modern media landscape for you. Everything is consolidated.
If you're holding old paper certificates from the 90s, they aren't worthless, but they've likely been converted three times over. First to CBS Corp, then to ViacomCBS, and finally to Paramount Global. Most recently, the blockbuster deal with Skydance Media has completely rewritten the playbook for how this stock behaves.
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The Current State of the Price of CBS Stock (PARA/PSKY)
Right now, the market is basically in a "show me" phase. Investors are staring at a 52-week range that spans from a low of $9.95 to a high of $20.86.
Why the massive gap?
It’s the streaming wars. It's the declining cable revenue. It's the "will they, won't they" drama of M&A.
- The Skydance Factor: The merger with David Ellison’s Skydance has been a messy, public divorce from the old Redstone era. For a while, the stock price was essentially a bet on whether the deal would actually close.
- The WBD Hostile Bid: Things got even weirder when Paramount (the house that CBS built) launched a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. That sort of aggressive move usually sends a stock price into a tailspin because of the debt involved.
- Dividend Reality: If you were in this for the income, you've probably noticed the yield is sitting at roughly 1.69%. It’s not the cash cow it used to be back in the "Eye Network" glory days.
What’s Actually Moving the Needle?
When you look at the price of CBS stock today, you have to look at the "Three-Legged Stool" of their revenue.
First, you have the broadcast network. CBS is still the "most-watched" network, but "most-watched" means something different when everyone is on TikTok. Advertisers are still paying up for NFL games and 60 Minutes, but the growth isn't there.
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Second, there's Paramount+. This is the money pit. They are spending billions on content to keep up with Netflix and Disney. Every time they announce a subscriber gain, the stock might tick up a few cents, but then the market remembers how much it cost to get those subscribers.
Third, the studio. Paramount Pictures is actually doing okay. They’ve had some hits. But a hit movie is a one-off; Wall Street wants recurring revenue.
The $13 Billion Question
As of January 2026, the market cap is sitting around $13.06 billion. To put that in perspective, Netflix is worth hundreds of billions. CBS/Paramount is a minnow in a pond full of sharks.
There's a lot of chatter about undervaluation. Some analysts, like those at Public.com, have a price target of around $11.78, which is almost exactly where it's trading now. It’s "fairly valued" in a world where cable TV is dying.
But then you have the contrarians.
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They argue that the library alone—the rights to Star Trek, Yellowstone (sorta), and the deep CBS news archives—is worth more than the current stock price suggests. If a tech giant like Apple or Amazon ever decided to just buy the whole thing, the price of CBS stock would likely double overnight.
Common Misconceptions
- "CBS is a safe utility stock." Nope. Not anymore. It moves like a tech stock but without the 20% year-over-year growth.
- "The Super Bowl fixes everything." CBS gets the Super Bowl in the rotation, and while it brings in a massive ad haul, it’s a one-day event. It doesn't change the structural decline of linear TV.
- "PARA and CBS are different stocks." They are the same. If you buy PARA, you own CBS.
Strategy: How to Actually Trade This
Honestly, if you're looking at the price of CBS stock as a long-term "set it and forget it" investment, you might be disappointed. This is currently a "special situations" play.
Watch the debt. The company is carrying a debt-to-equity ratio of about 122%. That is heavy. In a high-interest-rate environment, that debt eats the profits.
Watch the M&A news. This stock lives and dies by the rumor mill. If you see a headline about Larry Ellison guaranteeing more debt or a new bidder entering the fray for their cable assets (like MTV or Nickelodeon), expect volatility.
Actionable Steps for Investors
If you're seriously considering jumping into the CBS/Paramount pool, don't just look at the ticker.
- Check the Earnings Date: The next report is scheduled for January 27, 2026. Expect a lot of movement then.
- Diversify the Media Sector: If you like CBS, don't put all your eggs there. Pair it with a "pure" streamer like Netflix or a diversified giant like Disney to balance the risk.
- Set Stop-Losses: Given the 52-week low is under $10, it's smart to protect your downside. This stock has a habit of finding new bottoms when the news cycle turns sour.
- Understand the Ticker Change: Make sure your brokerage is showing you the updated PSKY or PARA data. Legacy symbols can sometimes lag in retail apps.
The era of CBS as a standalone king is over. It’s now a piece of a much larger, much more complicated puzzle. Whether that puzzle ever gets solved is what will ultimately determine if that $11 price point is a steal or a trap.