Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. Has $3.60 Million Position in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in Comcast Co. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 86,248 shares of the cable giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,079 shares during the period. Comcast comprises approximately 1.1% of Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Comcast were worth $3,603,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Comcast by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 115,703,280 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $5,015,737,000 after buying an additional 7,929,963 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Comcast by 2.7% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 38,329,384 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $1,500,722,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,626 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Comcast by 41.7% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 28,016,389 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $1,214,512,000 after acquiring an additional 8,243,302 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its position in Comcast by 25,881.7% in the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 10,850,995 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $470,391,000 after purchasing an additional 10,809,231 shares during the period. Finally, First Pacific Advisors LP raised its holdings in Comcast by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 10,818,009 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $423,633,000 after purchasing an additional 219,894 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.32% of the company’s stock.

Comcast Price Performance

Shares of CMCSA opened at $42.88 on Friday. Comcast Co. has a fifty-two week low of $36.43 and a fifty-two week high of $47.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $164.08 billion, a PE ratio of 11.53, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50-day moving average is $41.61 and its 200-day moving average is $39.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The cable giant reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $32.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.78 billion. Comcast had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 19.81%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Comcast Co. will post 4.25 EPS for the current year.

Comcast Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 8th. Comcast’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CMCSA shares. Pivotal Research raised their price objective 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. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of Comcast in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Comcast from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays increased their target price on Comcast from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on Comcast from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Comcast has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.75.

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.