Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Shares Sold by Costello Asset Management INC

Costello Asset Management INC trimmed its position in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 53.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,240 shares of the cable giant’s stock after selling 8,436 shares during the quarter. Costello Asset Management INC’s holdings in Comcast were worth $272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in Comcast by 55,334.5% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 8,273,052 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $345,565,000 after purchasing an additional 8,258,128 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Comcast by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 117,420,328 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $4,904,647,000 after buying an additional 6,062,658 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in Comcast by 530.5% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 3,429,298 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $143,242,000 after acquiring an additional 2,885,370 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Comcast by 211.7% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,890,571 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $120,739,000 after acquiring an additional 1,963,246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in Comcast by 31.7% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 7,613,977 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $318,036,000 after acquiring an additional 1,833,453 shares in the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Comcast Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of CMCSA stock opened at $33.66 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $38.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $128.80 billion, a PE ratio of 9.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Comcast Co. has a 1-year low of $32.50 and a 1-year high of $47.11.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.08. Comcast had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 19.81%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Comcast Co. will post 4.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. 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 3.92%. Comcast’s payout ratio is 33.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CMCSA shares. Loop Capital reduced their target price on Comcast from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Benchmark reduced their price objective on Comcast from $57.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Comcast from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Comcast from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Comcast to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

Insider Activity at Comcast

In other Comcast news, CEO Brian L. Roberts sold 234,464 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.66, for a total value of $10,002,234.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 6,669,928 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $284,539,128.48. This represents a 3.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, President Michael J. Cavanagh sold 25,537 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.59, for a total transaction of $1,087,620.83. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 534,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,779,218.91. This trade represents a 4.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.