Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Shares Gap Down After Analyst Downgrade

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Monday after Arete Research downgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong sell rating. The stock had previously closed at $29.54, but opened at $27.73. Comcast shares last traded at $27.7520, with a volume of 4,363,047 shares changing hands.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on CMCSA. Moffett Nathanson reduced their price target on Comcast from $58.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 13th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on shares of Comcast from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Arete cut Comcast from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $23.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Comcast from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Comcast from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Comcast presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.24.

Trending Headlines about Comcast

Here are the key news stories impacting Comcast this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark trimmed its price target slightly (from $46 to $44) but kept a “buy” rating, implying continued upside potential vs. the current price and offering support for bullish investors. Benchmark adjusts price target on Comcast
• Neutral Sentiment: Versant, the newly spun-off company, had a rocky first day and its shares fell — a mixed signal: short-term volatility in the spin may weigh on sentiment, but reports also note Comcast shares gained as investors separate the two businesses. Versant gets off to a rocky start
• Neutral Sentiment: Market write-ups on valuation and upcoming Q4 2025 earnings set expectations — investors are re‑checking CMCSA’s cheap P/E and cash flow profile after recent weakness, so upcoming results will be a key short-term catalyst. Comcast valuation check after recent share price weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades from Arete (neutral → sell, then hold → strong sell across reports) and a $23 price target raise fresh downside pressure — these calls can amplify selling if investors follow analyst positioning. Zacks / Arete downgrade coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Strategic risk: Reuters reports that Comcast’s TV spin-off has given Paramount/Skydance extra leverage in its campaign around the Warner Bros. bid — that strengthens a rival bidder narrative and could complicate Comcast’s strategic options or valuation of media assets. Comcast’s TV spin hands Paramount more ammunition

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Comcast by 150.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 166,265 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $6,240,000 after purchasing an additional 99,986 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC raised its stake in Comcast by 8.4% in the first quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 142,676 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $5,265,000 after purchasing an additional 11,105 shares in the last quarter. Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Comcast during the 1st quarter worth $2,273,000. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in shares of Comcast during the first quarter worth $1,211,000. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Comcast by 11.6% in the first quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 56,027 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $2,067,000 after acquiring an additional 5,821 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.32% of the company’s stock.

Comcast Trading Up 1.8%

The firm has a market cap of $101.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $27.98 and its 200-day moving average is $31.15.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 13th. The cable giant reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Comcast had a return on equity of 18.06% and a net margin of 18.33%.The business had revenue of $30.34 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts anticipate that Comcast Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Comcast Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 14th will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 14th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.96%.

About Comcast

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) is a diversified global media and technology company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its principal operations are organized around Comcast Cable, which provides broadband internet, video, voice and wireless services to residential and business customers in the United States under the Xfinity and Comcast Business brands, and NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment group that develops, produces and distributes content across broadcast and cable networks, film, and streaming platforms.

NBCUniversal’s assets include the NBC broadcast network, a portfolio of cable channels, Universal Pictures and other film and television production businesses, and the Peacock streaming service.