United Asset Strategies Inc. Has $2.59 Million Stake in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

United Asset Strategies Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 58,956 shares of the cable giant’s stock after selling 2,663 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Comcast were worth $2,585,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Comcast by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 53,653,778 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $1,876,273,000 after purchasing an additional 7,084,451 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Comcast during the fourth quarter worth $1,798,173,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Comcast by 0.3% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 46,019,891 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $2,040,522,000 after acquiring an additional 141,874 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Comcast by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 42,448,741 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $1,245,022,000 after purchasing an additional 189,845 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in Comcast by 1.1% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 42,441,142 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $1,987,094,000 after buying an additional 473,150 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.32% of the company’s stock.

Comcast Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CMCSA traded down $0.27 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $39.16. The company had a trading volume of 5,851,114 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,498,393. Comcast Co. has a 1-year low of $36.38 and a 1-year high of $47.46. The stock has a market cap of $155.54 billion, a PE ratio of 10.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $42.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.83.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The cable giant reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.04. Comcast had a net margin of 12.66% and a return on equity of 19.75%. The company had revenue of $31.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.41 billion. Research analysts forecast that Comcast Co. will post 4.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 2nd. This is an increase from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. Comcast’s payout ratio is 33.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on CMCSA shares. BNP Paribas reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Comcast in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com cut Comcast from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on shares of Comcast from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 22nd. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Comcast in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Comcast from $55.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.50.

Insider Activity at Comcast

In related news, President Michael J. Cavanagh sold 114,749 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.10, for a total transaction of $5,289,928.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Comcast 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.