Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Stake Reduced by WASHINGTON TRUST Co

WASHINGTON TRUST Co lowered its position in shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Free Report) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 249,294 shares of the cable giant's stock after selling 11,243 shares during the quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co's holdings in Comcast were worth $9,356,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in Comcast by 55,334.5% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Comcast by 5.4% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Comcast by 530.5% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 3,429,298 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $143,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,885,370 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in shares of Comcast by 31.7% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 7,613,977 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $318,036,000 after purchasing an additional 1,833,453 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Comcast by 6.0% in 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 valued at $1,268,310,000 after purchasing an additional 1,717,762 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.32% of the company's stock.

Comcast Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CMCSA traded up $0.13 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $36.48. 22,698,377 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 26,956,936. The stock has a market capitalization of $137.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.79, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00. Comcast Co. has a one year low of $32.50 and a one year high of $45.31. 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 business's fifty day moving average is $36.79 and its 200-day moving average is $39.64.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 19.98% and a net margin of 13.09%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Comcast Co. will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.62%. This is a positive change from Comcast's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on CMCSA. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Comcast from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital dropped their target price on Comcast from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Macquarie lowered their price objective on Comcast from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn raised Comcast from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities decreased their price target on shares of Comcast from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Comcast has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $44.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Michael J. Cavanagh sold 25,537 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.59, for a total value of $1,087,620.83. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 534,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,779,218.91. This represents a 4.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian L. Roberts sold 234,464 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.66, for a total transaction of $10,002,234.24. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,669,928 shares in the company, valued at approximately $284,539,128.48. The trade was a 3.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.26% of the company's stock.

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.