Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $31.00 target price on Warner Bros. Discovery and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Arete Research reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.25 target price on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Argus decreased their target price on Warner Bros. Discovery from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Moffett Nathanson raised Warner Bros. Discovery from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Warner Bros. Discovery presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.04.

Warner Bros. Discovery Price Performance

WBD opened at $27.18 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $27.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $68.14 billion, a PE ratio of -38.83 and a beta of 1.54. Warner Bros. Discovery has a 1 year low of $9.11 and a 1 year high of $30.00.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.10) by ($1.07). Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative return on equity of 4.77% and a negative net margin of 4.67%.The business had revenue of $8.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.18) EPS. Warner Bros. Discovery’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Warner Bros. Discovery will post -0.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Warner Bros. Discovery

In other Warner Bros. Discovery news, insider Bruce Campbell sold 41,784 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.82, for a total transaction of $1,162,430.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 604,666 shares in the company, valued at $16,821,808.12. The trade was a 6.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Fazal F. Merchant sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.48, for a total value of $961,800.00. Following the sale, the director owned 95,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,625,411.72. This represents a 26.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 676,784 shares of company stock worth $18,534,231 in the last three months. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Warner Bros. Discovery

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,438,000. Hauser Brothers GmbH grew its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hauser Brothers GmbH now owns 2,877,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,188,000 after acquiring an additional 476,000 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 32.7% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 175,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,423,000 after acquiring an additional 43,240 shares during the period. Triad Investment Management bought a new position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $9,383,000. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 916,705 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,419,000 after acquiring an additional 38,105 shares during the period. 59.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Warner Bros. Discovery Company 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.