Renaissance Technologies LLC Acquires Shares of 3,847,153 Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

Key Points

• Renaissance Technologies disclosed a new stake in Warner Bros. Discovery, buying 3,847,153 shares valued at about $105.6 million. The position represents roughly 0.15% of the company.
• Warner Bros. Discovery stock was down 0.7% and opened at $25.77, leaving it below its 52-week high of $30.00. The company remains heavily owned by institutions, with about 59.95% of shares held by institutional investors.
• The company recently reported quarterly results that missed EPS estimates, posting a loss of $1.17 per share versus expectations of a $0.10 loss. Analysts currently have a Hold consensus on the stock, with an average price target of $27.04.

Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,847,153 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $105,643,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 0.15% of Warner Bros. Discovery as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new stake in Warner Bros. Discovery in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in Warner Bros. Discovery during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Warner Bros. Discovery during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 81.5% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,160 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in the third quarter valued at $33,000. 59.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Down 0.7%

WBD stock opened at $25.77 on Friday. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $10.76 and a fifty-two week high of $30.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.81 and a beta of 1.54. The business's fifty day moving average price is $26.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.39.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.10) by ($1.07). Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative net margin of 4.67% and a negative return on equity of 4.77%. The business had revenue of $8.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.18) EPS. The company's revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -1.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WBD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $31.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 29th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Huber Research raised shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $27.04.

Key Headlines Impacting Warner Bros. Discovery

Here are the key news stories impacting Warner Bros. Discovery this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to report second-quarter 2026 results on August 6, giving investors a new near-term catalyst to assess business performance. Warner Bros. Discovery to Report Second Quarter 2026 Results on Thursday, August 6
• Neutral Sentiment: Paramount has reportedly secured EU approval for the merger, reducing one hurdle even as U.S. regulators and courts continue to review the deal. Paramount’s Takeover Of Warner Bros. Discovery Gets EU Greenlight
• Negative Sentiment: A federal judge has extended the pause on the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal through at least August 17, increasing uncertainty around the transaction. Paramount-Warner-Bros deal paused through August 17, judge rules
• Negative Sentiment: Reports say Paramount may push the closing date out to as late as June 2027 while it fights state lawsuits, and could face large daily fees if the merger does not close on time. Paramount agrees to pause $110B Warner Bros. deal while states' lawsuit plays out

About Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery NASDAQ: WBD is a global media and entertainment company formed when WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc combined their businesses in 2022. Headquartered in New York City, the company assembles a broad portfolio of film and television production, linear and cable networks, streaming services and consumer distribution operations. Its assets span well-known studio brands, premium scripted and unscripted programming, news and factual entertainment, and licensed franchise properties.

The company's core activities include film and television production and distribution through units such as Warner Bros.

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