Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Receives $43.83 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.83.

CMCSA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Comcast from $42.00 to $37.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Comcast from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. BNP Paribas upgraded Comcast from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Comcast from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

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Comcast Price Performance

Shares of CMCSA stock traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $36.60. 32,953,451 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 19,864,652. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $35.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.08. The firm has a market cap of $138.39 billion, a PE ratio of 8.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. Comcast has a 1-year low of $32.50 and a 1-year high of $45.31.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 earnings per share (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, equities research analysts expect that Comcast will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. This is a positive change from Comcast's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Comcast's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Comcast

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP bought a new position in shares of Comcast in the fourth quarter valued at $343,000. 111 Capital acquired a new position in Comcast in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,886,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Comcast by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 740,084 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $27,775,000 after purchasing an additional 81,082 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its stake in Comcast by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 382,234 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $14,345,000 after purchasing an additional 8,661 shares during the period. Finally, Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of Comcast in the fourth quarter worth $48,589,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.32% 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.