Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Comcast Call Options (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 64,398 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 81% compared to the typical volume of 35,626 call options.

Comcast Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ CMCSA traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.01. The company had a trading volume of 30,668,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,474,008. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.27. Comcast has a 52-week low of $25.75 and a 52-week high of $43.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $98.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.49, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.83.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 13th. The cable giant reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Comcast had a net margin of 18.33% and a return on equity of 18.06%. The company had revenue of $30.34 billion during the quarter. Sell-side analysts predict that Comcast will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Comcast Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 14th will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 14th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. Comcast’s payout ratio is 21.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comcast

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital A Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Comcast by 173.7% during the 2nd quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the period. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Comcast in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Comcast by 86.0% during the second quarter. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC now owns 757 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the period. Global Trust Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Comcast by 906.8% during the second quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 745 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 671 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avalon Trust Co increased its position in Comcast by 433.3% in the 2nd quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 768 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 624 shares during the period. 84.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Comcast in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Benchmark reduced their price target on Comcast from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Comcast in a research report on Friday, October 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Comcast from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Comcast from $45.50 to $41.50 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.82.

Comcast Company 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.