Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Shares Sold by Level Four Advisory Services LLC

Level Four Advisory Services LLC cut its stake in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 142,749 shares of the cable giant’s stock after selling 20,651 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Comcast were worth $5,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Comcast during the fourth quarter worth about $3,835,226,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Comcast in the fourth quarter valued at $743,681,000. Amundi lifted its stake in Comcast by 147.9% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 24,086,671 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $895,499,000 after purchasing an additional 14,369,056 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 8,258,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Comcast by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 34,101,077 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,279,813,000 after purchasing an additional 2,270,186 shares during the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Comcast Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of Comcast stock opened at $36.62 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $138.46 billion, a PE ratio of 8.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.99. Comcast Co. has a 12 month low of $32.50 and a 12 month high of $45.31.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts predict that Comcast Co. will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. This is a boost from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Macquarie lowered their price objective on shares of Comcast from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $38.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Benchmark dropped their price objective on Comcast from $57.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Comcast from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Comcast from $45.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Comcast has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.64.

Comcast 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.