Sciencast Management LP Has $2.83 Million Position in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Sciencast Management LP raised its position in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 18.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 75,498 shares of the cable giant’s stock after buying an additional 11,674 shares during the quarter. Sciencast Management LP’s holdings in Comcast were worth $2,833,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMCSA. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its holdings in Comcast by 14.8% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Comcast by 54.8% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 814 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the period. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Comcast by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 16,581 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Five Oceans Advisors grew its position in Comcast by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 12,336 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the period. Finally, Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Comcast by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 26,470 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $993,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.32% of the company’s stock.

Comcast Trading Up 0.7 %

NASDAQ:CMCSA opened at $36.75 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $35.83 and its 200 day moving average is $39.08. Comcast Co. has a 12 month low of $32.50 and a 12 month high of $45.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $138.95 billion, a PE ratio of 8.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Comcast Co. will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.81%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Comcast from $42.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Comcast from $45.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Comcast from $45.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Macquarie lowered their price target on Comcast from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Comcast from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Nine equities research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.83.

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.