Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 445,259 shares of the cable giant’s stock after buying an additional 54,521 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Comcast were worth $16,711,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CMCSA. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Comcast by 269.9% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 688 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast in the third quarter worth about $30,000. 84.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Comcast Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CMCSA opened at $35.19 on Thursday. Comcast Co. has a 52-week low of $32.50 and a 52-week high of $45.31. The stock has a market cap of $133.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.00. The business’s 50 day moving average is $36.02 and its 200 day moving average is $39.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The cable giant reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 predict that Comcast Co. will post 4.33 EPS for the current year.

Comcast Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. This is a boost from Comcast’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio is 31.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CMCSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Comcast from $45.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $38.00 price objective on Comcast in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Rosenblatt Securities decreased their price objective on Comcast from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Comcast from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Scotiabank downgraded Comcast from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $48.00 to $44.50 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.83.

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.