Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Short Interest Update

Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 61,280,000 shares, an increase of 6.0% from the October 15th total of 57,790,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 17,780,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Currently, 1.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Comcast Stock Performance

Comcast stock traded down $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $42.88. 18,344,398 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 19,773,458. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm's fifty day moving average is $41.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.88. Comcast has a fifty-two week low of $36.43 and a fifty-two week high of $47.11. The company has a market capitalization of $164.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.00.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The cable giant reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.06. Comcast had a return on equity of 19.81% and a net margin of 11.92%. The company had revenue of $32.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Comcast will post 4.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 8th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 8th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Comcast's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their price target on Comcast from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Macquarie reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Comcast in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Scotiabank raised shares of Comcast from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $47.75 to $48.00 in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Comcast from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Comcast presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $46.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comcast

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Comcast by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 30,584 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $1,277,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Taurus Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Comcast by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Taurus Asset Management LLC now owns 9,125 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Comcast by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,445 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Comcast by 4.7% during the third quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,829 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Finally, Greenwich Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Comcast by 2.7% in the second quarter. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,754 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $382,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.32% of the company's stock.

About Comcast

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.

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