Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Hold” consensus on Comcast, with 13 hold, 11 buy and 4 sell ratings among 28 firms. The average 12-month price target is approximately $32.96, versus a recent share price of $26.41.
• Comcast exceeded quarterly expectations with $1.04 in adjusted EPS and $29.94 billion in revenue, though revenue declined 1.2% year over year and EPS fell from $1.25 in the prior-year period.
• The company is pursuing potential growth catalysts, including a unified advertising platform and the planned NBCUniversal and Sky spin-off, while investors remain concerned about execution risks and broadband growth. Comcast also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.33, implying a roughly 5.0% annual yield.

Shares of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the twenty-eight ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have given a hold recommendation and eleven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.9615.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Comcast in a research report on Monday, July 13th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on Comcast from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Comcast from $29.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. New Street Research lowered their price objective on shares of Comcast from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of Comcast in a research note on Friday, July 24th.

Comcast News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Comcast this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Comcast is partnering with Tracer to build a unified operating layer for Universal Ads. Centralized tools for creating, purchasing and measuring television campaigns could improve advertiser efficiency and support AI-driven, self-service products, potentially creating new growth opportunities in advertising. Comcast Builds Unified TV Ad Platform To Expand AI Driven Advertising
• Positive Sentiment: Peacock reportedly achieved its first profit, while Comcast plans to spin off NBCUniversal and Sky. The combination could give investors a clearer view of the company’s connectivity and media assets and improve confidence in Peacock’s path toward sustainable profitability. Did Comcast’s NBCU Spin-off and Peacock Profit Just Shift Comcast’s Investment Narrative?
• Positive Sentiment: Value-focused investor Greenlight Capital added Comcast during a pullback. The purchase may reinforce the view that CMCSA’s relatively low valuation and restructuring potential offer downside protection, although the fund’s broader second-quarter results lagged the S&P 500. Greenlight Capital Added Comcast Amid Pullback
• Neutral Sentiment: Comcast will participate in Goldman Sachs and BofA Securities investor conferences on September 9–10. Management commentary could provide updates on the NBCUniversal and Sky separation, broadband trends and advertising strategy, but no new financial targets were announced. Comcast to Participate in Goldman Sachs Investor Conference Comcast to Participate in BofA Securities Investor Conference
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s recent momentum follows a strong one-month advance despite weaker longer-term performance, raising the possibility of profit-taking. Investors also remain focused on execution risks surrounding the NBCUniversal and Sky spin-off and Comcast’s ability to sustain broadband growth while separating its media operations. What Is Behind the Latest Attention on Comcast?

Institutional Trading of Comcast

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Comcast by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 186,805,081 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $5,583,604,000 after purchasing an additional 6,117,946 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Comcast by 20.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 140,343,399 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $4,194,929,000 after purchasing an additional 24,166,881 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Comcast by 2,287.5% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 139,632,225 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $3,427,971,000 after purchasing an additional 133,783,856 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in Comcast by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 112,967,514 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $3,376,599,000 after buying an additional 399,596 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Comcast by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,913,362 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $2,680,747,000 after buying an additional 1,465,428 shares in the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Comcast Stock Down 2.9%

CMCSA opened at $26.41 on Friday. Comcast has a 12 month low of $21.28 and a 12 month high of $34.45. The business has a 50-day moving average of $24.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.67.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The cable giant reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.07. Comcast had a return on equity of 14.77% and a net margin of 8.97%.The business had revenue of $29.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $29.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Comcast will post 3.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Comcast Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 7th will be issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 7th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. Comcast's payout ratio is currently 42.72%.

About Comcast

Comcast Corporation NASDAQ: CMCSA is a diversified global media and technology company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its principal operations are organized around Comcast Cable, which provides broadband internet, video, voice and wireless services to residential and business customers in the United States under the Xfinity and Comcast Business brands, and NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment group that develops, produces and distributes content across broadcast and cable networks, film, and streaming platforms.

NBCUniversal's assets include the NBC broadcast network, a portfolio of cable channels, Universal Pictures and other film and television production businesses, and the Peacock streaming service.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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