Comcast (CMCSA) to Release Earnings on Thursday

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) will be announcing its earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, April 25th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.99 per share for the quarter. Investors that are interested in registering for the company's conference call can do so using this link.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The cable giant reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $31.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $30.41 billion. Comcast had a return on equity of 19.75% and a net margin of 12.66%. On average, analysts expect Comcast to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $5 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Comcast Trading Up 1.6 %

Comcast stock traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $39.62. The stock had a trading volume of 15,680,816 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,616,016. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Comcast has a 12 month low of $36.38 and a 12 month high of $47.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.76.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. This is a boost from Comcast's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Comcast's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CMCSA. BNP Paribas restated a "neutral" rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Comcast in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Comcast from $55.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on Comcast from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 22nd. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $49.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Comcast

In other Comcast news, President Michael J. Cavanagh sold 114,749 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.10, for a total value of $5,289,928.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. boosted its stake in Comcast by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 15,760 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $691,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Comcast in the 1st quarter valued at $107,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Comcast in the 1st quarter valued at $106,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Comcast by 31.0% in the 2nd quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,542 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the period. Finally, Dagco Inc. bought a new stake in Comcast in the 4th quarter valued at $102,000. 84.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Comcast

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.