Benson Investment Management Company Inc. Makes New Investment in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Benson Investment Management Company Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 125,303 shares of the cable giant’s stock, valued at approximately $5,234,000. Comcast accounts for 2.1% of Benson Investment Management Company Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors increased its position in Comcast by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 115,703,280 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $5,015,737,000 after buying an additional 7,929,963 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Comcast by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 38,329,384 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,500,722,000 after buying an additional 1,000,626 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Comcast by 41.7% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 28,016,389 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,214,512,000 after purchasing an additional 8,243,302 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its holdings in shares of Comcast by 25,881.7% during the 1st quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 10,850,995 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $470,391,000 after purchasing an additional 10,809,231 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Pacific Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Comcast by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 10,818,009 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $423,633,000 after purchasing an additional 219,894 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CMCSA. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Comcast in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Comcast in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Comcast from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Pivotal Research cut their price target on Comcast from $48.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Comcast from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Comcast presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.55.

Comcast Price Performance

Shares of CMCSA opened at $41.97 on Tuesday. Comcast Co. has a 1 year low of $36.43 and a 1 year high of $47.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $164.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a 50-day moving average of $40.05 and a 200-day moving average of $39.44.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The cable giant reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.09. Comcast had a return on equity of 20.17% and a net margin of 12.46%. The company had revenue of $29.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Comcast Co. will post 4.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Comcast Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 2nd will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 2nd. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.95%. Comcast’s payout ratio is currently 32.80%.

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.