Impax Asset Management Group plc Increases Holdings in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 145.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 42,919 shares of the cable giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,419 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Comcast were worth $1,793,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CMCSA. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in Comcast during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Comcast during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Comcast by 204.7% in the 2nd quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 777 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Comcast by 365.4% in the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 726 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the period. Finally, Archer Investment Corp lifted its holdings in Comcast by 177.1% during the second quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 812 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Comcast Stock Performance

Comcast stock opened at $42.56 on Wednesday. Comcast Co. has a fifty-two week low of $36.43 and a fifty-two week high of $47.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $164.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $40.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.62.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The cable giant reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.06. Comcast had a return on equity of 19.81% and a net margin of 11.92%. The business had revenue of $32.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Comcast Co. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 8th will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 8th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. Comcast’s payout ratio is 33.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Pivotal Research upped their price target on shares of Comcast from $47.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “neutral” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Comcast in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. StockNews.com cut Comcast from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Comcast in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Comcast from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.75.

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.