Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Shares Sold by Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc.

Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,363 shares of the cable giant’s stock after selling 647 shares during the quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Comcast were worth $877,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Comcast in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Comcast by 269.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 688 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares during the period. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in Comcast during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Comcast in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. 84.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Comcast Trading Down 2.0 %

NASDAQ CMCSA opened at $36.62 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $35.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.99. The company has a market capitalization of $138.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00. Comcast Co. has a 12 month low of $32.50 and a 12 month high of $45.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Comcast Co. will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This is a positive change from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CMCSA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BNP Paribas raised Comcast from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $38.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Comcast from $45.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Comcast from $47.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on Comcast from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Ten 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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.