Calamos Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

Calamos Advisors LLC grew its position in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 817.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,150,350 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,024,996 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery were worth $31,589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WBD. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery by 10.1% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 48,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,320,000 after purchasing an additional 4,399 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 3.3% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,839,154 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,963,000 after purchasing an additional 91,082 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery by 56.2% in the first quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 13,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $376,000 after acquiring an additional 4,950 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in the 1st quarter valued at $212,000. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its position in Warner Bros. Discovery by 8.0% in the first quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 30,814 shares of the company’s stock valued at $846,000 after buying an additional 2,274 shares during the last quarter. 59.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Up 1.9%

WBD opened at $27.09 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $26.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.53. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a 1 year low of $10.76 and a 1 year high of $30.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $67.92 billion, a PE ratio of -38.70 and a beta of 1.54.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.10) by ($1.07). The business had revenue of $8.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.89 billion. Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative return on equity of 4.77% and a negative net margin of 4.67%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.18) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -1.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Warner Bros. Discovery

Here are the key news stories impacting Warner Bros. Discovery this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option buying in Warner Bros. Discovery signals some traders are positioning for further upside, likely tied to merger speculation and takeover optionality.
• Neutral Sentiment: WBD stock has also been highlighted as rising even as the broader market slipped, suggesting the shares are being supported by event-driven trading rather than fundamentals alone.
• Negative Sentiment: California and 11 other states filed suit to block the $110 billion Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, arguing the deal is anti-competitive and could hurt consumers, theaters, and cable distributors. Reuters: US states tap private law firm Milbank fight Paramount-Warner Bros deal
• Negative Sentiment: The legal fight is intensifying, with states hiring top antitrust counsel and public officials, including New York City’s mayor, criticizing the deal as not serving the public interest, adding to the risk that the merger could be delayed or derailed. Deadline: Paramount-WBD Combo Is “Not A Merger That Serves The Public,” NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Says
• Negative Sentiment: Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav also sold another $59 million of company stock, which may weigh on sentiment by signaling insider selling during a period of deal and regulatory uncertainty. MSN: David Zaslav Sells $59 Million More in Warner Bros. Discovery Stock

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on WBD. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Warner Bros. Discovery from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Huber Research raised Warner Bros. Discovery from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Warner Bros. Discovery from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Warner Bros. Discovery currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.04.

About Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a global media and entertainment company formed when WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc combined their businesses in 2022. Headquartered in New York City, the company assembles a broad portfolio of film and television production, linear and cable networks, streaming services and consumer distribution operations. Its assets span well-known studio brands, premium scripted and unscripted programming, news and factual entertainment, and licensed franchise properties.

The company’s core activities include film and television production and distribution through units such as Warner Bros.