Acadian Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 348.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 481,001 shares of the cable giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 373,779 shares during the quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Comcast were worth $18,832,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CMCSA. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Comcast by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 115,703,280 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $5,015,737,000 after purchasing an additional 7,929,963 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Comcast in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,542,988,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Comcast by 41.7% during the first 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 buying an additional 8,243,302 shares in the last quarter. Harris Associates L P boosted its stake in Comcast by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 18,873,787 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $827,616,000 after buying an additional 1,854,671 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Comcast by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 11,304,304 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $495,694,000 after buying an additional 368,685 shares in the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Comcast Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CMCSA opened at $39.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.82 billion, a PE ratio of 10.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.01. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $39.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.80.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The cable giant reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.09. Comcast had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 20.17%. The firm had revenue of $29.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Comcast Co. will post 4.23 EPS for the current year.

Comcast Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of Comcast from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Comcast from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Comcast from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Comcast from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Comcast from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Comcast presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.78.

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.