Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Position Reduced by Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its position in shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 54,010 shares of the cable giant’s stock after selling 2,191 shares during the quarter. Comcast comprises 0.7% of Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Comcast were worth $2,027,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Comcast during the 4th quarter worth $3,835,226,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Comcast during the fourth quarter worth $743,681,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Comcast by 147.9% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 24,086,671 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $895,499,000 after purchasing an additional 14,369,056 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in shares of Comcast by 55,334.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 8,273,052 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $345,565,000 after purchasing an additional 8,258,128 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Comcast by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 34,101,077 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,279,813,000 after purchasing an additional 2,270,186 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.32% of the company’s stock.

Comcast Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CMCSA opened at $36.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $138.46 billion, a PE ratio of 8.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $35.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.99. Comcast Co. has a 1 year low of $32.50 and a 1 year high of $45.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

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

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This is an increase from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CMCSA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Comcast from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas raised shares of Comcast from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Comcast from $47.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie lowered their price target on Comcast from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Comcast from $45.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Comcast has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.64.

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.