Prudential PLC Boosts Holdings in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Prudential PLC lifted its holdings in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 133,746 shares of the cable giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,112 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Comcast were worth $5,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMCSA. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Comcast in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Comcast by 269.9% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 688 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 502 shares during the period. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Comcast in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Comcast in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, 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 in the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Comcast Price Performance

Comcast stock opened at $33.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.87. Comcast Co. has a 12 month low of $32.50 and a 12 month high of $45.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.21 billion, a PE ratio of 8.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.94.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 EPS 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%. Equities analysts predict that Comcast Co. will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast’s payout ratio is currently 31.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CMCSA. Macquarie decreased their price objective on shares of Comcast from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Benchmark decreased their price target on Comcast from $57.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Comcast from $45.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised Comcast from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $38.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Comcast has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.08.

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.