Comcast (CMCSA) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) is scheduled to be announcing its earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, April 25th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.99 per share for the quarter. Investors that wish to register for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The cable giant reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $31.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.41 billion. Comcast had a return on equity of 19.75% and a net margin of 12.66%. On average, analysts expect Comcast to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $5 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Comcast Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CMCSA opened at $38.99 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $41.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $154.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.48, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.98. Comcast has a 12-month low of $36.38 and a 12-month high of $47.46.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 3rd will be given a $0.31 dividend. This is an increase from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 2nd. Comcast’s payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Michael J. Cavanagh sold 114,749 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.10, for a total transaction of $5,289,928.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comcast

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Comcast in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. O Dell Group LLC bought a new stake in Comcast during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Cowa LLC acquired a new position in shares of Comcast during the 1st quarter worth about $52,000. AM Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Comcast during the 1st quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, MayTech Global Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Comcast in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.32% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on CMCSA shares. StockNews.com cut Comcast from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Comcast from $55.00 to $53.00 in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Redburn Atlantic cut Comcast from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $50.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Comcast in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on Comcast from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Comcast currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.50.

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.