Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Downgraded to "Equal Weight" Rating by Morgan Stanley

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a $45.00 price target on the cable giant's stock, down from their prior price target of $48.00. Morgan Stanley's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 15.80% from the stock's previous close.

CMCSA has been the subject of several other research reports. Scotiabank upgraded Comcast from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $47.75 to $48.00 in a report on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI raised Comcast to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Pivotal Research raised their price target on Comcast from $47.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "neutral" rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Comcast from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $47.06.

Comcast Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ CMCSA traded down $1.06 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $38.86. 20,152,268 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 19,641,318. The company has a market cap of $148.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.99. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $42.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Comcast has a one year low of $36.43 and a one year high of $47.11.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The cable giant reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $32.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.78 billion. Comcast had a return on equity of 19.81% and a net margin of 11.92%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Comcast will post 4.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Brian L. Roberts sold 234,464 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 6,669,928 shares in the company, valued at $284,539,128.48. This represents a 3.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Michael J. Cavanagh sold 25,537 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the president now directly owns 534,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,779,218.91. The trade was a 4.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.26% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CMCSA. DGS Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Comcast by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 28,498 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $1,190,000 after acquiring an additional 1,221 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp increased its position in Comcast by 2.2% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 154,036 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $6,434,000 after purchasing an additional 3,323 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in Comcast by 15.2% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 171,440 shares of the cable giant's stock worth $7,161,000 after purchasing an additional 22,684 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in Comcast by 55,334.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 8,273,052 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $345,565,000 after purchasing an additional 8,258,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Comcast by 904.0% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 254,545 shares of the cable giant's stock valued at $10,632,000 after buying an additional 229,192 shares during the period. 84.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.