DISH Network Corp. DISH reported strong financial results in the first quarter of 2016, with the top line meeting the Zacks Consensus Estimate and the bottom line beating the same.Quarterly net income came in at $389.3 million or 84 cents per share compared with $351.5 million or 76 cents in the year-ago quarter. Earnings per share of 84 cents steered past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 65 cents.Total revenue in the quarter stood at $3,787 million, up 1.7% year over year and on par with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.Segment-wise, Subscriber-related revenues grossed $3,775.5 million in the first quarter, up 2.2% from the prior-year quarter. Equipment sales & other revenues totaled $11.8 million, down a significant 61.7% from the last-year quarter.First-quarter 2016 operating expenses were $3,227.1 million, down 0.4% year over year. Operating profit was $560.1 million compared with $483.9 million in the year-ago quarter. EBITDA at the end of the first quarter stood at $855.2 million against $848.6 million in the year-ago quarter.As of Mar 31, 2016, DISH Network had approximately 13.874 million pay-TV subscribers compared with 14.013 million at the end of the first quarter of 2015. The company lost 23,000 pay-TV subscribers in the reported quarter compared with a gain of 35,000 in the year-ago quarter. Meanwhile, the company added 5,000 broadband subscribers in the reported quarter compared with 14,000 in the same quarter last year. At the end of the quarter under review, DISH had 628,000 broadband subscribers in comparison with 591,000 at the end of the prior-year quarter.Average monthly subscriber churn rate in the third quarter stood at 1.63% compared with 1.64% in the prior-year quarter. Pay-TV ARPU (average revenue per user) was $87.94 compared with $85.73 in the prior-year quarter. Pay-TV average subscriber acquisition cost was $648 against $667 in the year-ago quarter.In the first three months of 2016, DISH Network generated $903.2 million of cash from continuing operations compared with $891.6 million in the prior-year period. Free cash flow in the reported period was $734 million against $679.5 million in the year-ago period.At the end of the first quarter of 2016, DISH had $870.6 million of cash and marketable securities and $12,251.1 million of outstanding debt on its balance sheet compared with $1,611.1 million and $13,755.9 million, respectively, at the end of 2015.Zacks Rank & Stock to ConsiderCurrently, DISH Network carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other favorably ranked stocks worth considering in the same sector include Rogers Communications Inc. RCI, Cablevision Systems Corporation CVC and Cable ONE, Inc. CABO. While Rogers Communications sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Cablevision and Cable ONE hold the same Zacks Rank as DISH Network.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report DISH NETWORK CP (DISH): Free Stock Analysis Report CABLEVISION SYS (CVC): Free Stock Analysis Report ROGERS COMM CLB (RCI): Free Stock Analysis Report CABLE ONE INC (CABO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research