By Nat Worden
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) Chief Executive Brian Roberts said Wednesday he can't comment on "rumors" that the cable giant is in talks with General Electric Co. (GE) about taking a majority stake in media conglomerate NBC Universal, but he said the company will take a "disciplined approach" to pursuing acquisitions.
"While we can't comment on rumors, I would like to reinforce that we only look at opportunities in our core businesses that potentially can accelerate growth, make those businesses more profitable and differentiated and give them the benefits of scale," said Roberts on a conference call with investors following Comcast's third-quarter earnings release.
Michael Angelakis, chief financial officer with Comcast, said the company will not use its stock as currency to make acquisitions "at these levels," and that any deal would have to generate attractive returns to shareholders.
Meanwhile, Angelakis said Comcast will continue to return value to shareholders through share buybacks and dividends.
Talks between Comcast and GE about NBC Universal have been widely reported.
-By Nat Worden, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2472; nat.worden@dowjones.com