Optas LLC Boosts Stock Position in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Optas LLC grew its holdings in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,527 shares of the cable giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. Optas LLC’s holdings in Comcast were worth $565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CMCSA. Norden Group LLC lifted its stake in Comcast by 15.8% in the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 21,212 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,902 shares during the period. Choreo LLC lifted its position in shares of Comcast by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 38,970 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,689,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350 shares during the period. Lincoln National Corp boosted its stake in shares of Comcast by 3.1% during the first quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 61,838 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $2,681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846 shares in the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Comcast by 13.5% during the first quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 36,466 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $1,467,000 after buying an additional 4,330 shares during the period. Finally, FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in Comcast in the first quarter worth approximately $5,776,000. 84.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Comcast from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Comcast from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Pivotal Research boosted their price objective on shares of Comcast from $47.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.63.

Comcast Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CMCSA opened at $43.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $168.69 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.58. Comcast Co. has a 12 month low of $36.43 and a 12 month high of $47.11.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The cable giant reported $1.12 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 the consensus estimate of $31.78 billion. Comcast had a return on equity of 20.17% and a net margin of 12.46%. The company’s revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Comcast Co. will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Comcast Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 8th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 8th. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.98%.

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.