New York State Common Retirement Fund Lowers Stake in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

New York State Common Retirement Fund decreased its position in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 1.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,235,739 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,400 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery were worth $24,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WBD. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in Warner Bros. Discovery during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 66.5% during the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Crews Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 1,242.2% in the third quarter. Crews Bank & Trust now owns 1,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 183.9% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 1,225 shares during the period. 59.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels sold 242,994 shares of Warner Bros. Discovery stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.50, for a total transaction of $7,168,323.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 918,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,108,730. The trade was a 20.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Lori C. Locke sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.62, for a total value of $138,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 110,084 shares in the company, valued at $3,040,520.08. This represents a 4.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 267,116 shares of company stock worth $7,781,731. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Down 0.2%

WBD stock opened at $27.54 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $68.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 144.95 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a twelve month low of $7.52 and a twelve month high of $30.00. The company’s 50 day moving average is $27.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.58.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.02). Warner Bros. Discovery had a net margin of 1.28% and a return on equity of 1.34%. The company had revenue of $9.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.05 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Warner Bros. Discovery from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Singular Research upgraded Warner Bros. Discovery to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Barrington Research lowered Warner Bros. Discovery from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $28.00 price objective on Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Warner Bros. Discovery currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $25.08.

Warner Bros. Discovery News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Warner Bros. Discovery this week:

• Positive Sentiment: An Argus analyst reiterated a positive outlook on WBD, saying the stock is expected to rise—this provides a near-term bullish analyst catalyst that can support the share price. Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Argus Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: Warner Bros. Discovery struck a promotional/distribution partnership with X around the Winter Olympics—such platform deals can broaden reach and ad inventory, supporting ad revenue and streaming promotional efforts. Warner Bros. Discovery Partners With X On Winter Olympics
• Positive Sentiment: Market speculation and trading flow show bets around a possible Warner Bros.–Netflix deal; heightened positioning can amplify moves if deal optimism increases. (High short interest in WBD also raises volatility.) Wall Street traders show their hands with bets on Warner Bros. Discovery-Netflix deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Barry Diller expressed interest in buying CNN from WBD, but WBD publicly said CNN is not for sale and the idea did not advance to the board—this creates occasional M&A chatter but no concrete asset-sale catalyst. Barry Diller Told Warner Discovery He’s Interested in Buying CNN
• Neutral Sentiment: Profiles and commentary on potential leadership/strategy moves (e.g., coverage of David Ellison’s plans) add background on governance and strategic options but contain limited immediate financial detail. What Is David Ellison’s Warner Bros. Endgame?
• Negative Sentiment: Filmmakers and small theaters have urged state attorneys general to block the reported Netflix–Warner Bros. deal—this raises regulatory/legal risk that could scuttle or materially delay any transaction and weigh on the stock. State AGs urged by filmmakers, small theaters to block Netflix-Warner Bros. deal: report
• Negative Sentiment: Industry reporting highlights weakening box-office performance for major franchise films—this is a headwind for WBD’s theatrical revenue and franchise monetization, increasing near-term revenue uncertainty. Hollywood has an IP problem: Box office sales are banking on franchise hits that keep falling flat

About Warner Bros. Discovery

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.