Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Shares Bought by Advisory Services Network LLC

Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its position in shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 25.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 72,912 shares of the cable giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,671 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC’s holdings in Comcast were worth $2,736,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in Comcast during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Comcast by 269.9% during the 4th 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 acquired a new position in shares of Comcast during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Comcast in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Comcast during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 84.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Comcast Stock Down 4.3 %

CMCSA opened at $33.68 on Friday. Comcast Co. has a 1 year low of $32.20 and a 1 year high of $45.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $35.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $127.34 billion, a PE ratio of 8.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.94.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.92%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This is a boost from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast’s payout ratio is currently 31.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CMCSA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Comcast from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Comcast from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of Comcast from $57.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Comcast from $44.50 to $45.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $38.00 target price on shares of Comcast in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Comcast presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.90.

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.