Blueshift Asset Management LLC Purchases Shares of 48,781 Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 48,781 shares of the cable giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,831,000. Comcast comprises 0.7% of Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Comcast by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 117,420,328 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $4,904,647,000 after purchasing an additional 6,062,658 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Comcast by 7.1% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Comcast by 2.6% during 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 buying an additional 838,366 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Comcast by 6.0% in 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 valued at $1,268,310,000 after buying an additional 1,717,762 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in Comcast by 147.9% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 24,086,671 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $895,499,000 after acquiring an additional 14,369,056 shares during the period. 84.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Comcast Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ CMCSA opened at $36.09 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $35.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.11. Comcast Co. has a 12 month low of $32.50 and a 12 month high of $45.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $136.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.70, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.66%. This is a positive change from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast’s payout ratio is currently 31.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Comcast from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Comcast from $47.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Comcast from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Comcast from $45.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Scotiabank lowered shares of Comcast from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $48.00 to $44.50 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.83.

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.