Calamos Advisors LLC Cuts Position in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Calamos Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,310,683 shares of the cable giant’s stock after selling 9,004 shares during the quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Comcast were worth $57,473,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Morgan Stanley increased its position in shares of Comcast by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 53,653,778 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $1,876,273,000 after acquiring an additional 7,084,451 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Comcast in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,798,173,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Comcast by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 46,019,891 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $2,040,522,000 after purchasing an additional 141,874 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Comcast by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 42,448,741 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,245,022,000 after purchasing an additional 189,845 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in Comcast by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 42,441,142 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,987,094,000 after purchasing an additional 473,150 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CMCSA shares. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on shares of Comcast from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 22nd. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Comcast from $50.00 to $47.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of Comcast from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $50.00 to $44.00 in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.50.

Comcast Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CMCSA traded up $0.63 during trading on Thursday, hitting $39.62. 15,482,509 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,613,371. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.65, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Comcast Co. has a 12-month low of $36.38 and a 12-month high of $47.46. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $41.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.76.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The cable giant reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $31.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.41 billion. Comcast had a net margin of 12.66% and a return on equity of 19.75%. On average, research analysts predict that Comcast Co. will post 4.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 2nd. This is an increase from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Comcast’s payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Insider Activity

In other Comcast news, President Michael J. Cavanagh sold 114,749 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.10, for a total value of $5,289,928.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.18% 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.