Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Downgraded by BNP Paribas to “Underperform”

BNP Paribas lowered shares of Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $31.00 price objective on the cable giant’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on CMCSA. Scotiabank raised their target price on Comcast from $44.50 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Comcast from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Comcast from $45.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Comcast from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Macquarie cut their target price on Comcast from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.90.

Comcast Stock Performance

CMCSA opened at $33.72 on Thursday. Comcast has a twelve month low of $32.20 and a twelve month high of $45.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.50 billion, a PE ratio of 8.13, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $35.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.56.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.08. Comcast had a return on equity of 19.98% and a net margin of 13.09%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Comcast will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This is a boost from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.81%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Comcast in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Comcast by 269.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 688 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 502 shares during the last quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Comcast during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Comcast by 126.9% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 801 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.