Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Shares Down 0.8%

Shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) dropped 0.8% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $42.14 and last traded at $42.29. Approximately 2,408,256 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 20,085,209 shares. The stock had previously closed at $42.64.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CMCSA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Comcast from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on Comcast from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Comcast from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Comcast in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Pivotal Research lifted their target price on Comcast from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.68.

Comcast Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $171.07 billion, a PE ratio of 11.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.98.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The cable giant reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $31.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.41 billion. Comcast had a return on equity of 19.75% and a net margin of 12.66%. Research analysts anticipate that Comcast Co. will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 2nd. This is an increase from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.18%.

Insider Activity at Comcast

In related news, President Michael J. Cavanagh sold 114,749 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comcast

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMCSA. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Comcast by 94.1% during the 3rd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 623 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Quilter Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast during the 1st quarter worth about $695,100,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. 84.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.