Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Sells 62,924 Shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 61.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 39,757 shares of the cable giant’s stock after selling 62,924 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Comcast were worth $1,493,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Comcast during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Comcast by 269.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 688 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in Comcast during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Comcast during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 84.32% of the company’s stock.

Comcast Stock Performance

Shares of Comcast stock opened at $36.60 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $35.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $138.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.82, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Comcast Co. has a 52 week low of $32.50 and a 52 week high of $45.31.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.08. Comcast had a net margin of 13.09% and a return on equity of 19.98%. Sell-side analysts expect that Comcast Co. will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This is an increase from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast’s payout ratio is presently 31.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on CMCSA shares. Benchmark decreased their price objective on Comcast from $57.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Comcast from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Comcast from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Comcast from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Comcast from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.83.

Comcast Company 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.