Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Stake Lifted by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Key Points

• Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in Comcast Corporation by 5.3%, holding over 1 million shares valued at approximately $38.43 million as per the latest SEC filing.
• Comcast recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per share, representing a 4.1% yield, with an upcoming payment date of October 22nd.
• Despite mixed analyst ratings, Comcast has a consensus rating of "Hold" with a target price averaging around $40.73, while shares are currently valued at $32.51.

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Free Report) by 5.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,041,378 shares of the cable giant's stock after purchasing an additional 52,478 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Comcast were worth $38,427,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of Comcast by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 141,680,277 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $5,317,167,000 after acquiring an additional 11,255,683 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox lifted its stake in Comcast by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 79,102,667 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $2,968,723,000 after buying an additional 5,039,823 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Comcast by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 50,320,446 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $1,890,027,000 after buying an additional 5,402,377 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Comcast by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 42,479,501 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $1,594,256,000 after acquiring an additional 4,819,443 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Comcast by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 35,356,027 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $1,326,912,000 after acquiring an additional 4,991,891 shares during the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Comcast from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $31.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on shares of Comcast from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. New Street Research dropped their target price on shares of Comcast from $44.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Arete Research upgraded shares of Comcast to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their target price on shares of Comcast from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.73.

Comcast Stock Performance

CMCSA stock remained flat at $31.67 during trading on Friday. 16,091,644 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,820,288. The stock has a market cap of $116.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.92. Comcast Corporation has a 52-week low of $31.44 and a 52-week high of $45.31. The firm's 50-day moving average is $34.61 and its 200 day moving average is $34.99. 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 (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The cable giant reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.07. Comcast had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 18.86%. The business had revenue of $30.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $29.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.21 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Comcast Corporation will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

Comcast Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Comcast's dividend payout ratio is 21.82%.

Comcast 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.