Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 69,544 Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,748,072 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 69,544 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.11% of Warner Bros. Discovery worth $79,199,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 2,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the period. Optas LLC lifted its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Optas LLC now owns 15,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 6,095 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners boosted its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 49.9% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 59.95% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Warner Bros. Discovery

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

• Positive Sentiment: Global streaming growth and HBO Max expansion accelerated subscriber gains, pushing total subs above 140 million — a key proof point for WBD’s recurring?revenue story. Warner Bros. Discovery tops 140M subs as Paramount sale nears
• Positive Sentiment: Management emphasized HBO Max as “probably” the company’s most important asset — underlining focus on global streaming and monetization strategy that could support long?term margins and valuation. David Zaslav Says HBO Max Is “Probably” Warner Bros. Discovery’s “Most Important Asset”
• Positive Sentiment: Streaming revenue grew better?than?expected in the quarter as HBO Max’s international push boosted engagement — a sign that core subscription metrics are improving despite near?term noise. Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming growth accelerates on global HBO Max push
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts at Guggenheim reaffirmed a neutral rating on WBD, leaving guidance/estimates unchanged — a steadying but non?catalytic signal for the stock. Benzinga coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Speculative commentary and takeover chatter continue (including analysis that a Paramount Skydance acquisition could occur), which keeps buyout expectations in play but also raises execution and timing uncertainty. Warner Bros. Discovery: Time To Look Forward To Paramount
• Negative Sentiment: WBD reported a large first?quarter net loss driven by a $2.8B termination fee tied to the deal shuffle (Paramount/Netflix swap), producing a reported ~$2.9B hit that is expected to be largely a one?time accounting charge but crushed headline profitability. WBD Sees $2.9 Billion Q1 Loss On M&A Charges Including Termination Fee
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly results missed expectations: EPS missed by a wide margin (reported loss $1.17 vs. consensus ~($0.10)), and revenue was roughly flat/down year?over?year — details that pressured the stock once one?time noise was stripped away. Warner Bros. Discovery Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: Press commentary around legacy news brands (e.g., Ted Turner’s criticisms of CNN) adds reputational noise but is unlikely to be a primary driver of near?term financials. Ted Turner Watched CNN Go From “World Peace Through Hard News” to “Dumbed Down” Infotainment

Insider Activity at Warner Bros. Discovery

In related news, Director Paul A. Gould sold 600,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.35, for a total value of $16,410,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 244,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,683,163.95. The trade was a 71.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Gerhard Zeiler sold 600,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.02, for a total value of $16,812,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 672,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,847,624.98. This represents a 47.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 8,206,827 shares of company stock valued at $230,674,025 over the last quarter. 1.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Down 0.3%

NASDAQ:WBD opened at $27.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.06 and a 1-year high of $30.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $27.48 and a 200 day moving average of $26.66. The firm has a market cap of $67.98 billion, a PE ratio of -38.74 and a beta of 1.57.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($1.17) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.10) by ($1.07). Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative net margin of 4.67% and a negative return on equity of 4.66%. The business had revenue of $8.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.89 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.18) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -0.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WBD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Huber Research lowered shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “strong-buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Moffett Nathanson raised shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 8th. Finally, Arete Research reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.25 price target on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a report on Friday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Warner Bros. Discovery presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $26.36.

Warner Bros. Discovery 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.