Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Comcast from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Comcast from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Comcast to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.19.

Comcast Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of CMCSA opened at $42.64 on Tuesday. Comcast has a 52-week low of $36.43 and a 52-week high of $47.11. The stock has a market cap of $163.16 billion, a PE ratio of 11.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $42.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The cable giant reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $32.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.78 billion. Comcast had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 19.81%. The business’s revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Comcast will post 4.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 8th will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 8th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.33%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comcast

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC increased its position in Comcast by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 117,420,328 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $4,904,647,000 after acquiring an additional 6,062,658 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Comcast by 2.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 38,329,384 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $1,500,722,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,626 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Comcast by 1.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,871,235 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,331,192,000 after purchasing an additional 416,759 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Comcast by 6.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 30,364,136 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,268,310,000 after purchasing an additional 1,717,762 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its position in Comcast by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 15,983,230 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $667,620,000 after buying an additional 822,936 shares during the last quarter. 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.