Briefing From The Editor -- CMCSA Stock

Comcast logged a 0.0% change during today's evening session, and is now trading at a price of $42.67 per share.

Comcast returned gains of 16.2% last year, with its stock price reaching a high of $47.46 and a low of $33.78. Over the same period, the stock outperformed the S&P 500 index by 1.2%. More recently, the company's 50-day average price was $42.55. Comcast Corporation operates as a media and technology company worldwide. Based in Philadelphia, PA, the large-cap Telecommunications company has 186,000 full time employees. Comcast has offered a 2.7% dividend yield over the last 12 months.

EPS Trend Sustained Primarily by Reducing the Number of Shares Outstanding:

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Revenue (MM) $94,507 $108,942 $103,564 $116,385 $121,427 $120,871
Revenue Growth n/a 15.27% -4.94% 12.38% 4.33% -0.46%
Operating Margins 20% 19% 17% 18% 12% 19%
Net Margins 13% 12% 10% 12% 4% 13%
Net Income (MM) $11,862 $13,323 $10,701 $14,159 $5,370 $15,151
Net Interest Expense (MM) $3,542 $4,567 $4,588 $4,281 $3,896 $4,043
Depreciation & Amort. (MM) $8,281 $8,663 $8,320 $13,804 $13,821 $14,050
Earnings Per Share $2.56 $2.89 $2.31 $3.04 $1.21 $4.25
EPS Growth n/a 12.89% -20.07% 31.6% -60.2% 251.24%
Diluted Shares (MM) 4,640 4,610 4,624 4,654 4,430 3,564
Free Cash Flow (MM) $14,523 $15,744 $15,558 $19,972 $15,787 $17,028
Capital Expenditures (MM) $9,774 $9,953 $9,179 $9,174 $10,626 $11,434
Current Ratio 0.79 0.84 0.93 0.85 0.78 0.7
Total Debt (MM) $111,743 $102,217 $105,466 $96,672 $96,581 $104,156
Net Debt / EBITDA 3.95 3.25 3.63 2.54 3.3 2.61

Comcast has EPS growth achieved by reducing the number of outstanding shares, irregular cash flows, and a highly leveraged balance sheet. On the other hand, the company has growing revenues and a flat capital expenditure trend working in its favor. Furthermore, Comcast has average net margins with a stable trend.

The Market May Be Undervaluing Comcast's Earnings and Assets:

Comcast has a trailing twelve month P/E ratio of 11.9, compared to an average of 23.78 for the Telecommunications sector. Based on its EPS guidance of $4.31, the company has a forward P/E ratio of 9.9. The 7.7% compound average growth rate of Comcast's historical and projected earnings per share yields a PEG ratio of 1.53. This suggests that these shares are overvalued. In contrast, the market is likely undervaluing Comcast in terms of its equity because its P/B ratio is 2.1 while the sector average is 3.46. The company's shares are currently trading -9.7% below their Graham number.

Comcast Has an Analyst Consensus of Some Upside Potential:

The 26 analysts following Comcast have set target prices ranging from $41.0 to $55.0 per share, for an average of $49.31 with a buy rating. As of April 2023, the company is trading -13.7% away from its average target price, indicating that there is an analyst consensus of some upside potential.

Comcast has a very low short interest because 1.2% of the company's shares are sold short. Institutions own 88.0% of the company's shares, and the insider ownership rate stands at 0.73%, suggesting a small amount of insider investors. The largest shareholder is Vanguard Group Inc, whose 10% stake in the company is worth $16,331,564,596.

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.

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