Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $28.34 According to Brokerages

Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have given a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.61.

Several research firms recently issued reports on WBD. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Seaport Research Partners cut shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $29.00 price target on the stock.

Insider Activity at Warner Bros. Discovery

In other news, Director Kenneth W. Lowe sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.23, for a total value of $5,646,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 590,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,658,748.84. This represents a 25.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Amy Girdwood sold 262,285 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.98, for a total value of $7,338,734.30. Following the transaction, the insider owned 539,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,091,684.52. This represents a 32.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 2,782,149 shares of company stock valued at $77,455,972 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Warner Bros. Discovery

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 111.2% during the second quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 942 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 496 shares during the period. Field & Main Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 64.3% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp acquired a new position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. 59.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Warner Bros. Discovery News

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

• Positive Sentiment: A U.S. judge approved a settlement with 12 states, removing a major legal obstacle and allowing Paramount Skydance to proceed with its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The companies also announced an anticipated closing date, improving visibility on the transaction and reducing the risk of a prolonged delay. US judge allows Paramount to close Warner Bros acquisition Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery announce anticipated closing date
• Positive Sentiment: Paramount CEO David Ellison selected Mattel’s Ynon Kreiz as co-CEO of the combined company. Kreiz is expected to help oversee day-to-day operations, strategic planning and integration, potentially adding experienced consumer-brand and media leadership. David Ellison names Ynon Kreiz co-CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: HBO content chief Casey Bloys is expected to lead the merged streaming operation after Paramount streaming head Cindy Holland’s departure. The move may strengthen content coordination, but leadership turnover also highlights the execution risk of integrating the streaming businesses. Ellison picks HBO content chief to run Paramount-Warner streaming business
• Negative Sentiment: Paramount is funding the transaction with a large debt package, reportedly including a $44.4 billion bond sale. Reports that the combined company must achieve roughly $6 billion in cost savings, alongside potentially higher annual interest expense, raise leverage and integration concerns for WBD investors. Paramount’s Warner Bros. deal hinges on $6 billion in cost savings
• Negative Sentiment: Argus reaffirmed a “sell” rating on WBD, while other coverage questioned the acquisition’s debt burden and financing costs. These warnings could limit further gains even as deal certainty supports the shares. Warner Bros. cut to sell by Argus

Warner Bros. Discovery Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery stock opened at $30.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.38. The stock has a market cap of $77.71 billion, a P/E ratio of -24.37 and a beta of 1.57. Warner Bros. Discovery has a 1-year low of $17.08 and a 1-year high of $30.97.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.14) by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.25 billion. Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative return on equity of 8.91% and a negative net margin of 8.77%.The firm’s revenue was down 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.63 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Warner Bros. Discovery will post -1.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Warner Bros. Discovery Company Profile

Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc is a global media and entertainment company that creates, distributes and licenses television, film and digital content. Its portfolio includes Warner Bros. film and television studios, HBO and Max, CNN, Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, TNT Sports and other well-known entertainment, news, lifestyle and sports brands.

The company serves audiences through streaming platforms, cable and broadcast networks, theatrical releases, consumer products and content licensing.