Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 46,430 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 73% compared to the typical daily volume of 26,835 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CMCSA shares. BNP Paribas raised shares of Comcast from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Comcast from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Rosenblatt Securities dropped their price target on Comcast from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Comcast from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $50.00 to $38.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $38.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research report on Friday, January 31st. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.64.

Comcast Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of CMCSA stock traded down $0.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $36.76. 10,101,448 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,379,886. The company has a market capitalization of $138.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $35.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. Comcast has a fifty-two week low of $32.50 and a fifty-two week high of $45.31.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.08. Comcast had a net margin of 13.09% and a return on equity of 19.98%. Research analysts predict that Comcast will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.33 dividend. This is a positive change from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.81%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comcast

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in shares of Comcast by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Comcast by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 30,792 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in Comcast by 54.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 814 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the period. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC raised its position in shares of Comcast by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 16,581 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Five Oceans Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Comcast by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 12,336 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the period. 84.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Comcast

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.