Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Shares Bought by Avitas Wealth Management LLC

Avitas Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 58,490 shares of the cable giant’s stock after buying an additional 328 shares during the quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Comcast were worth $2,195,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB raised its stake in Comcast by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,800 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $6,635,000 after acquiring an additional 16,700 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in shares of Comcast by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 62,055 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $2,329,000 after purchasing an additional 3,060 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Comcast during the fourth quarter worth $245,000. Flavin Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Comcast in the 4th quarter valued at $287,000. Finally, Patron Partners LLC increased its stake in Comcast by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 10,857 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 1,393 shares during the period. 84.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Comcast Price Performance

CMCSA stock opened at $33.55 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $38.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.02. The firm has a market cap of $128.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.08, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.00. Comcast Co. has a 1 year low of $32.50 and a 1 year high of $45.38.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.08. Comcast had a return on equity of 19.98% and a net margin of 13.09%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Comcast Co. will post 4.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast’s payout ratio is currently 29.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Comcast from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Comcast from $45.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Rosenblatt Securities cut their target price on Comcast from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Comcast from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Macquarie dropped their price objective on Comcast from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.13.

Insider Activity at Comcast

In related news, President Michael J. Cavanagh sold 25,537 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.59, for a total transaction of $1,087,620.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 534,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,779,218.91. This represents a 4.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Brian L. Roberts sold 234,464 shares of Comcast stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $284,539,128.48. This trade represents a 3.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.