BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Sells 709,843 Shares of Comcast Corporation $CMCSA

Key Points

• BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. has reduced its stake in Comcast Corporation by 49.6%, selling 709,843 shares during the first quarter.
• Comcast recently reported $30.31 billion in revenue for the quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and showing a 2.1% year-over-year increase.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per share, yielding 3.9% with a payout ratio of 21.82%.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. trimmed its stake in Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Free Report) by 49.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 720,560 shares of the cable giant's stock after selling 709,843 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.'s holdings in Comcast were worth $26,588,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Comcast by 150.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 166,265 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $6,240,000 after buying an additional 99,986 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Comcast by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,828,656 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $143,689,000 after acquiring an additional 235,301 shares in the last quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Comcast by 44.7% in the 4th quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 325,403 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $12,212,000 after purchasing an additional 100,486 shares during the period. Natixis boosted its position in shares of Comcast by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Natixis now owns 513,341 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $19,266,000 after purchasing an additional 41,628 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Comcast by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 1,009,949 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $37,903,000 after purchasing an additional 5,820 shares in the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Comcast Stock Up 1.7%

CMCSA stock opened at $33.45 on Monday. The company's 50 day moving average is $34.36 and its 200 day moving average is $34.78. The stock has a market cap 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. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Comcast Corporation has a 1-year low of $31.03 and a 1-year high of $45.31.

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

Comcast Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Comcast's payout ratio is currently 21.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CMCSA. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Comcast from $44.50 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Moffett Nathanson increased their price target on Comcast from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Comcast from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Argus lowered Comcast from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on Comcast from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $40.73.

Comcast Company Profile

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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