UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Sells 2,190 Shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lessened its holdings in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 49,740 shares of the cable giant’s stock after selling 2,190 shares during the period. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Comcast were worth $1,867,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 2,270,186 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Comcast by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 32,709,601 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,227,591,000 after acquiring an additional 838,366 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Comcast by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 30,364,136 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,268,310,000 after purchasing an additional 1,717,762 shares during the period. Amundi grew its holdings in Comcast by 147.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 24,086,671 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $895,499,000 after purchasing an additional 14,369,056 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Comcast in the 4th quarter worth about $743,681,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.32% of the company’s stock.

Comcast Stock Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ:CMCSA opened at $37.37 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $141.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.02. Comcast Co. has a fifty-two week low of $32.50 and a fifty-two week high of $45.31.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, equities analysts anticipate that Comcast Co. will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This is an increase from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas raised Comcast from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Comcast from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Comcast from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Comcast from $45.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Comcast from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.64.

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.