Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) shares hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $36.15 and last traded at $36.28, with a volume of 13199495 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $36.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CMCSA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Comcast from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Comcast in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a report on Monday, January 6th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Comcast from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Comcast from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.33.

Comcast Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $40.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $138.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.76, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.01.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The cable giant reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $32.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.78 billion. Comcast had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 19.81%. Comcast’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Comcast Co. will post 4.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 8th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 8th. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Comcast news, President Michael J. Cavanagh sold 25,537 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.59, for a total value of $1,087,620.83. Following the transaction, the president now owns 534,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,779,218.91. This represents a 4.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Brian L. Roberts sold 234,464 shares of Comcast stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.66, for a total transaction 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 approximately $284,539,128.48. This represents a 3.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comcast

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Comcast by 0.8% in the third quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 30,584 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,277,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the period. Taurus Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Comcast by 2.9% in the third quarter. Taurus Asset Management LLC now owns 9,125 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the period. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Comcast by 3.1% during the third quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,445 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Comcast by 4.7% during the third quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,829 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Finally, Saxon Interests Inc. raised its position in Comcast by 2.0% in the third quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 13,554 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $566,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.