Hartford Financial Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Hartford Financial Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 35,854 shares of the cable giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,287 shares during the quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc.’s holdings in Comcast were worth $1,498,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Comcast during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Comcast during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Comcast by 204.7% during the 2nd quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 777 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Comcast by 365.4% in the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 726 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the period. Finally, Archer Investment Corp grew its holdings in shares of Comcast by 177.1% in the 2nd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 812 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares during the period. 84.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Comcast Price Performance

CMCSA stock opened at $43.67 on Friday. Comcast Co. has a 52-week low of $36.43 and a 52-week high of $47.11. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $169.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.01.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The cable giant reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.06. Comcast had a return on equity of 20.17% and a net margin of 12.46%. The business had revenue of $32.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Comcast Co. will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

Comcast Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 8th. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CMCSA. Barclays lowered their price target on Comcast from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Scotiabank upgraded Comcast from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $47.75 to $48.00 in a report on Friday. Pivotal Research lowered their price target on Comcast from $48.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a report on Wednesday. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their price target on Comcast from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Comcast presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.60.

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.