Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD Stake Lessened by Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc.

Key Points

• Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. cut its Warner Bros. Discovery stake by 51.3% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 115,555 shares worth about $3.33 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted their positions, while 59.95% of WBD shares are still owned by hedge funds and other institutions.
• Insiders were active sellers: CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels and insider Bruce Campbell both sold shares, and the company reported 8.2 million insider shares sold in the last quarter.

Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD - Free Report) by 51.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 115,555 shares of the company's stock after selling 121,751 shares during the period. Warner Bros. Discovery comprises approximately 0.5% of Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery were worth $3,330,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery during the fourth quarter worth $249,000. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery during the fourth quarter worth $204,000. FourThought Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery during the fourth quarter worth $218,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 246.2% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 37,466 shares of the company's stock worth $1,080,000 after acquiring an additional 26,643 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MJP Associates Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery during the fourth quarter worth $266,000. 59.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Bruce Campbell sold 41,784 shares of the firm'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 sale, the insider directly owned 604,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,821,808.12. This trade represents a 6.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels sold 374,323 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total value of $10,499,760.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 663,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,607,809. This represents a 36.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 8,206,827 shares of company stock valued at $230,674,025 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.90% of the company's stock.

Warner Bros. Discovery Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:WBD opened at $27.11 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $67.97 billion, a P/E ratio of -38.73 and a beta of 1.57. The stock's 50-day moving average is $27.28 and its 200-day moving average is $27.10. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.83 and a 52-week high of $30.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by ($1.07). The business had revenue of $8.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.89 billion. Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative net margin of 4.67% and a negative return on equity of 4.77%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.18) earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -0.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WBD. Moffett Nathanson upgraded Warner Bros. Discovery from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Sunday, March 8th. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a report on Friday, April 24th. Argus cut their price objective on Warner Bros. Discovery from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Warner Bros. Discovery from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Warner Bros. Discovery from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Warner Bros. Discovery currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $26.36.

More Warner Bros. Discovery News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Paul Tudor Jones’ hedge fund reportedly bought 7 million shares of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), which may signal that sophisticated investors see upside in the company’s turnaround or merger-related value creation.
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street banks led by JPMorgan reportedly expanded WBD’s refinancing loan package to more than $10 billion, suggesting lenders are still willing to support the company’s debt restructuring ahead of the planned Paramount merger. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several reports say Paramount is still aiming to close the merger as early as July, or by the third quarter, which keeps the deal timeline intact but does not remove execution risk.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary noted WBD shares outperformed peers on a strong trading day, reflecting renewed trading interest rather than a clearly company-specific catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Democratic senators raised concerns about foreign ownership in the proposed Paramount-WBD merger and urged a rigorous FCC review, increasing the chance of regulatory delays. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that bondholders are pushing back on the debt swap and that the merger could trigger credit downgrades highlight financing and credit-risk concerns around the deal, which may weigh on WBD sentiment. Article Title

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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