Aviva PLC Increases Stake in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Aviva PLC lifted its position in shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Free Report) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,327,702 shares of the cable giant's stock after purchasing an additional 156,986 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned 0.06% of Comcast worth $87,359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CMCSA. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,835,226,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Comcast during the 4th quarter worth approximately $743,681,000. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Comcast by 147.9% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 24,086,671 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $895,499,000 after acquiring an additional 14,369,056 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in Comcast by 55,334.5% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 8,273,052 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $345,565,000 after acquiring an additional 8,258,128 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Comcast by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 34,101,077 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $1,279,813,000 after purchasing an additional 2,270,186 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.32% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CMCSA shares. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Comcast from $44.50 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Macquarie reduced their target price on shares of Comcast from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas cut shares of Comcast from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $31.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Comcast from $45.00 to $38.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Comcast from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.90.

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Comcast Price Performance

NASDAQ:CMCSA traded down $1.47 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $33.72. 15,198,536 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,667,448. Comcast Co. has a 52 week low of $32.20 and a 52 week high of $45.31. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $35.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $127.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.94.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.08. Comcast had a return on equity of 19.98% and a net margin of 13.09%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Comcast Co. will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from Comcast's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.92%. Comcast's payout ratio is 31.81%.

Comcast 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.