Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Shares Purchased by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,205 shares of the cable giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,782 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Comcast were worth $1,471,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Comcast during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Comcast by 269.9% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 688 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Comcast during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Comcast by 54.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 814 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on CMCSA shares. Macquarie dropped their target price on Comcast from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Comcast from $42.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Comcast from $45.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Rosenblatt Securities dropped their price target on shares of Comcast from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Comcast from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Comcast has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.08.

Comcast Stock Down 6.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CMCSA opened at $33.38 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.21 billion, a PE ratio of 8.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.94. Comcast Co. has a 1 year low of $32.50 and a 1 year high of $45.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $35.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.87.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.08. Comcast had a net margin of 13.09% and a return on equity of 19.98%. Analysts predict that Comcast Co. will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.95%. This is a positive change from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.81%.

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.