Comcast Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors bought 80,692 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 48% compared to the typical daily volume of 54,522 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price objective (up from $32.79) on shares of Comcast in a research note on Friday. Exane BNP Paribas reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Comcast in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group set a $37.00 price objective on Comcast in a research note on Monday, January 12th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on Comcast from $28.10 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities restated a “neutral” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Comcast in a research note on Friday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Comcast has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.08.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Comcast

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Comcast by 150.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 166,265 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $6,240,000 after purchasing an additional 99,986 shares during the last quarter. Voya Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Comcast by 3.2% during the second quarter. Voya Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 83,883 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $2,963,000 after buying an additional 2,593 shares during the last quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Comcast by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC now owns 51,507 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $1,838,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Comcast by 47.8% during the second quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 81,122 shares of the cable giant’s stock worth $2,895,000 after purchasing an additional 26,236 shares during the period. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC raised its stake in Comcast by 24.7% in the second quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 55,518 shares of the cable giant’s stock valued at $1,981,000 after buying an additional 10,987 shares during the period. 84.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Comcast News

Here are the key news stories impacting Comcast this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — Comcast reported adjusted EPS of $0.84 (above consensus) with revenue roughly in line; management highlighted Theme Parks and Peacock as growth drivers that offset headwinds in broadband and Studios. CMCSA Q4 Earnings Beat On Theme Parks and Peacock Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Peacock subscriber growth and Theme Parks momentum — Peacock reached large subscriber counts (~44M) and parks (including Epic Universe) drove better consumer revenue, supporting upside to future content and leisure revenue. Peacock Hits 44 Million Subscribers But Losses Widen
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained — Comcast confirmed a quarterly dividend ($0.33 / $1.32 annualized), supporting income-focused investors and the stock’s yield profile. Comcast Maintains Dividend on an Annualized Basis in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity — Heavy call buying was reported around the print, indicating some traders positioned for further upside or volatility following the earnings release. Looking At Comcast’s Recent Unusual Options Activity
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction mixed — coverage notes the company beat on EPS but revenue was essentially flat y/y and key metrics (broadband churn, studio comps) created a mixed read for near-term growth. Comcast shares rise after in-line Q4 report, overcoming tough environment
• Negative Sentiment: Broadband subscriber losses persisted — Comcast lost more broadband customers than expected as wireless competitors lure consumers, adding pressure to its core high-margin business and long-term growth outlook. Comcast sheds more broadband customers as wireless competition mounts
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts trimmed price targets — Several firms lowered PTs (TD Cowen to $39, Deutsche Bank to $35, Scotiabank to $35.25) citing slower broadband trends and studio uncertainty; ratings largely remain Buy/Peer‑perform, but lowered PTs can weigh on sentiment. TD Cowen Adjusts Price Target Deutsche Bank Adjusts Price Target on Comcast to $35 Scotiabank Adjusts Price Target on Comcast to $35.25
• Negative Sentiment: Studio and box-office headwinds — Broader industry weakness in franchise box-office performance raises near-term risk for Comcast’s Studios revenue and content profitability. Hollywood has an IP problem: Box office sales are banking on franchise hits that keep falling flat

Comcast Stock Performance

Shares of CMCSA opened at $29.75 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 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 50 day moving average is $28.41 and its 200-day moving average is $30.35. Comcast has a 12-month low of $25.75 and a 12-month high of $37.97.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The cable giant reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.09. Comcast had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 16.86%. The business had revenue of $32.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.96 earnings per share. Comcast’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Comcast will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Comcast Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Comcast’s payout ratio 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.