Clarkston Capital Partners LLC Sells 2,312,125 Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

Clarkston Capital Partners LLC trimmed its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 81.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 514,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,312,125 shares during the period. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery were worth $14,834,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 2,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC boosted its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 6,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $184,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optas LLC boosted its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Optas LLC now owns 15,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. 59.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Warner Bros. Discovery News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Warner Bros. Discovery this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The DOJ reportedly cleared Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, removing a key antitrust obstacle and improving the chances the deal closes. Justice Department says Paramount’s Warner deal wouldn’t harm competition
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that the merger was approved helped fuel speculation that Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders could benefit from a takeover premium if the deal advances. Paramount-WBD merger wins approval from DOJ, source says
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders rejected David Zaslav’s proposed $165 million pay package for 2025 in a non-binding vote, which adds governance noise but is not likely to change the near-term merger story. Warner Bros. Shareholders Reject David Zaslav’s $165 Million Pay Package for 2025

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Arete Research reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.25 price objective on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research note on Friday, February 27th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Warner Bros. Discovery from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Warner Bros. Discovery from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $29.50 to $31.00 in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $31.00 price objective on Warner Bros. Discovery and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.04.

Warner Bros. Discovery Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of WBD opened at $26.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.98 and a 12-month high of $30.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.64 billion, a PE ratio of -38.54 and a beta of 1.54. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.53.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by ($1.07). Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative net margin of 4.67% and a negative return on equity of 4.77%. The firm had revenue of $8.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.89 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.18) EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -1.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Warner Bros. Discovery

In other news, Director Fazal F. Merchant sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.48, for a total transaction of $961,800.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 95,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,625,411.72. This represents a 26.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Paul A. Gould sold 600,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.35, for a total value of $16,410,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 244,357 shares in the company, valued at $6,683,163.95. This trade represents a 71.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

About Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a global media and entertainment company formed when WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc combined their businesses in 2022. Headquartered in New York City, the company assembles a broad portfolio of film and television production, linear and cable networks, streaming services and consumer distribution operations. Its assets span well-known studio brands, premium scripted and unscripted programming, news and factual entertainment, and licensed franchise properties.

The company’s core activities include film and television production and distribution through units such as Warner Bros.