Swedbank AB Purchases 470,297 Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

Key Points

• Swedbank AB boosted its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 44.1% in Q4, buying 470,297 shares to hold 1,535,742 shares (about 0.06%) valued at roughly $44.26 million.
• Warner Bros. Discovery missed Q1 expectations with a GAAP EPS of ($1.17) versus ~($0.10) consensus, driven largely by a ~$2.8 billion termination fee tied to the Paramount/Netflix swap that produced a reported ~$2.9 billion net loss while revenue was roughly flat year‑over‑year.
• Insider selling has been heavy recently: Director Paul A. Gould sold 600,000 shares (~$16.4M) and insiders have offloaded 8,206,827 shares worth about $230.7M over the past 90 days.

Swedbank AB boosted its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD - Free Report) by 44.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,535,742 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 470,297 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned about 0.06% of Warner Bros. Discovery worth $44,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WBD. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 2,494 shares of the company's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. Optas LLC boosted its holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Optas LLC now owns 15,120 shares of the company's stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 6,095 shares of the company's stock worth $176,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners boosted its holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery by 49.9% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,321 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. 59.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on WBD shares. Zacks Research downgraded Warner Bros. Discovery from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings raised Warner Bros. Discovery from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Warner Bros. Discovery in a report on Monday, March 9th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Huber Research downgraded Warner Bros. Discovery from a "strong-buy" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson raised Warner Bros. Discovery from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Sunday, March 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Warner Bros. Discovery has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $26.36.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Down 0.3%

Warner Bros. Discovery stock opened at $27.12 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $67.98 billion, a PE ratio of -38.74 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a one year low of $8.06 and a one year high of $30.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $27.48 and a 200 day moving average of $26.66.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($1.17) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.10) by ($1.07). The firm had revenue of $8.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.89 billion. Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative net margin of 4.67% and a negative return on equity of 4.66%. The firm's revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.18) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -0.14 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Warner Bros. Discovery

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

• Positive Sentiment: Global streaming growth: WBD’s streaming unit reported accelerating revenue and subscriber gains (company says total subs topped ~140M), which supports recurring revenue and long‑term monetization of HBO Max. Reuters: Streaming Growth Accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: Management focus on HBO Max: CEO David Zaslav called HBO Max “probably” the company’s most important asset, signalling management will prioritize streaming investment and global expansion. Hollywood Reporter: Zaslav on HBO Max
• Positive Sentiment: Content/engagement bump: Warner Bros. TV announced special podcast episodes tied to a well‑known franchise, a small but constructive marketing/content move to boost engagement. Forbes: Special Podcast Episodes
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance: Guggenheim reaffirmed a neutral rating on WBD, reflecting mixed views (streaming upside vs. near‑term accounting/merger noise). Benzinga: Guggenheim Reaffirms Neutral
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 characterization varies: some reports describe Q1 as “in line” on certain metrics, but the headline EPS decline and one‑offs complicate the read. MSN: Q1 Reported In Line
• Negative Sentiment: Large one‑time charge: WBD booked a ~$2.8B termination fee related to the Paramount/Netflix swap, producing a reported ~$2.9B Q1 loss — a headline that pressured sentiment despite being largely nonrecurring. CNBC: $2.9B Net Loss
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings miss and margin pressure: GAAP EPS of ($1.17) missed consensus (~($0.10)), and revenue was roughly flat/down y/y; analysts flagged restructuring and M&A costs as near‑term drags. MarketBeat: Q1 Earnings Summary

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Warner Bros. Discovery news, Director Paul A. Gould sold 600,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.35, for a total value of $16,410,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 244,357 shares in the company, valued at $6,683,163.95. This represents a 71.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bruce Campbell sold 41,784 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.82, for a total value of $1,162,430.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 604,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,821,808.12. The trade was a 6.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,206,827 shares of company stock valued at $230,674,025. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Warner Bros. Discovery Profile

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.

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.