Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Comcast Corporation has received an average rating of "Hold" from twenty-seven analysts, with three sell ratings, eleven holds, twelve buys, and one strong buy.
• The company's most recent quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, reporting $1.25 earnings per share on a revenue of $30.31 billion, compared to analysts' expectations of $29.81 billion.
• Comcast recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per share, representing a dividend yield of 3.9% and a payout ratio of 21.82%.

Shares of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-seven brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have assigned a hold recommendation, twelve have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.7308.

Several brokerages have recently commented on CMCSA. Arete Research upgraded shares of Comcast to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Comcast from $44.50 to $45.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Comcast in a research report on Friday, July 18th. New Street Research lowered their price target on shares of Comcast from $44.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson increased their price target on shares of Comcast from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th.

Comcast Price Performance

Shares of Comcast stock opened at $33.45 on Monday. Comcast has a twelve month low of $31.03 and a twelve month high of $45.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $123.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.92.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The cable giant reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.07. Comcast had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 18.86%. The firm had revenue of $30.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $29.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.21 EPS. The company's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Comcast will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

Comcast Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Comcast's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comcast

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Comcast during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Comcast by 906.8% during the 2nd quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 745 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 671 shares during the last quarter. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Comcast by 86.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC now owns 757 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co grew its stake in Comcast by 433.3% during the 2nd quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 768 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new position in Comcast during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.32% of the company's stock.

About Comcast

Comcast Corporation operates as a media and technology company worldwide. It operates through Residential Connectivity & Platforms, Business Services Connectivity, Media, Studios, and Theme Parks segments. The Residential Connectivity & Platforms segment provides residential broadband and wireless connectivity services, residential and business video services, sky-branded entertainment television networks, and advertising.

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