Core Viewpoint - Comcast's fourth-quarter earnings report is highly anticipated, with a focus on its broadband business and the spinout of its cable TV networks [1][5]. Broadband Business - Comcast's broadband business is experiencing a slump in customer growth, with an expected loss of over 100,000 broadband customers in the fourth quarter [2][3]. - The market remains "competitively intense," with increased competition from wireless providers like Verizon and T-Mobile [3]. - Despite the expected subscriber loss, domestic broadband revenue continues to grow due to rising prices, indicating stability in the broadband business [3]. Streaming and Cable TV Networks - Wall Street is looking for updates on NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock, which saw a customer increase during the third quarter due to the Summer Olympics [4]. - The spinout of Comcast's cable TV networks, including CNBC, MSNBC, E!, and USA, is also a point of interest for investors [5]. - Attendance numbers at Universal theme parks are being monitored, as they have declined in recent quarters following a surge post-COVID lockdowns [5]. Financial Performance - Comcast reported earnings per share of 86 cents and revenue of $31.64 billion [7].

Stock Performance and Industry Context - Comcast's stock has returned -2% over the past month, underperforming the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.5% change [1] - The Zacks Cable Television industry, which includes Comcast, has lost 0.4% over the same period [1] Earnings Estimates and Revisions - Comcast is expected to post earnings of $0.88 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +4.8% [4] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has changed -0.5% over the last 30 days [4] - The consensus earnings estimate for the current fiscal year is $4.25, indicating a year-over-year change of +6.8%, and has remained unchanged over the last 30 days [4] - For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate is $4.41, indicating a change of +3.8% from the previous year, and has remained unchanged over the past month [5] - Comcast is rated Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) due to the recent change in consensus estimate and other factors related to earnings estimates [6] Revenue Growth Forecast - The consensus sales estimate for the current quarter is $31.63 billion, representing a year-over-year change of +1.2% [8] - The sales estimates for the current and next fiscal years are $123.47 billion and $122.77 billion, indicating changes of +1.6% and -0.6%, respectively [8] Last Reported Results and Surprise History - Comcast reported revenues of $32.07 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +6.5% [9] - EPS for the same period was $1.12, compared to $1.08 a year ago [9] - The reported revenues represent a surprise of +0.86% compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $31.8 billion [10] - The EPS surprise was +5.66% [10] - The company has beaten consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters and topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period [10] Valuation - Comcast is graded A on the Zacks Value Style Score, indicating that it is trading at a discount to its peers [14] - The Zacks Value Style Score evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to determine if a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued [13]

Tech leader's sizable investment brings several communities new reliable connectivity optionsCHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla., Jan. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast today announced a $15 million investment to build and expand its high-speed, reliable network across Charlotte County, Florida. Thousands of homes and businesses in the areas of Rotunda West, Gulf Cove, South Gulf Cove, Port Charlotte and other neighborhoods will have access to Xfinity and Comcast Business services. Construction is ongoing and services wi ...

As more pay-TV operators embrace slimmer packages, Comcast Xfinity is rolling out Sports & News TV, a $70-a-month offering based on two foundational elements of live programming. The $70 price is available only to customers who also have Xfinity internet service. The package includes more than 50 broadcast and cable news and sports channels as well as NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock, which has ramped up its live sports offerings and integrated elements of MSNBC’s live news coverage. The bundle also ...

Merger Speculation - Wall Street is discussing the potential merger of Comcast and Charter Spectrum, which would create the largest cable provider in the US, with significant resources to impact the media industry [1] - The two companies operate in separate, non-overlapping territories, making them more complementary than competitive, and a merger would result in a dominant provider of linear cable TV networks and other services across nearly every state in the US [2] Convergence and Strategic Moves - Comcast and Charter have been converging through joint ventures and other relationships, with Comcast planning to spin out most of its cable networks later this year, creating a new entity called SpinCo [3] - SpinCo is expected to be well-capitalized and may pursue acquisitions of other cable networks, while Comcast's balance sheet is being clarified for potential future deals [4] - Both companies have restructured carriage deals with media companies, dropping some channels, moderating fee hikes, and gaining rights to include subscription streaming services [7] Wireless Growth and Technological Integration - Both companies are experiencing growth in their wireless offerings, relying on Verizon's backbone services for their low-cost mobile phone services [7] - They share an in-home tech platform, Xumo, built on Comcast's X-1 technology, which replaces traditional cable boxes and enables a wider array of services [7] Potential Synergies and Challenges - A merger could lead to modest savings through corporate duplications and unified advertising, but operational synergies may be limited as both companies already have significant purchasing and bargaining leverage [5][8] - Integration of wireless services would be relatively easy for customers, but it would not yield significant efficiencies, as both companies already allow customers to use each other's Wi-Fi hotspots [9] Regulatory and Political Considerations - Regulatory approvals for a merger would likely come with expensive conditions, even under a light-handed administration, and state-level oversight could impose additional requirements [6][9] - A combined company controlling more than half of US broadband connections would be a "juicy target" for regulatory scrutiny, especially with potential changes in political control at the federal level [10] - State Public Service and Public Utility Commissions could impose various conditions on the merger, such as low-income pricing mandates or network expansions in underserved areas [10]

Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng reiterated the Buy rating on Comcast Corporation CMCSA with a price forecast of $50.The analyst projects the company to report in-line results for the fourth quarter, with revenue of $31.6 billion, EBITDA of $8.50 billion, and EPS of $0.86.Segment forecasts include Connectivity and Platforms EBITDA of $7.67 billion, slightly below consensus, and Content and Experiences EBITDA of $1.13 billion, slightly above consensus, Ng adds.In Connectivity & Platforms, broadband net adds ...

Tech leader's sizable investment will bring Xfinity, Comcast Business and NOW services to parts of Camden County.KINGSLAND, Ga., Jan. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new and powerful Internet network is now online in parts of Camden County, connecting communities to high-speed, reliable Internet. Thousands of homes and businesses in the city of Kingsland and surrounding areas can now access Xfinity, Comcast Business and NOW services. Comcast invested $7 million to make this technology infrastructure project poss ...

Comcast (CMCSA) closed at $36.45 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.25% move from the prior day. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 0.16% for the day. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.86%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 0.38%.Shares of the cable provider have depreciated by 8.92% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Consumer Discretionary sector's loss of 5.64% and the S&P 500's loss of 2.2%.The upcoming earnings release of Comcast will be of great int ...

Founder of Dividend Mantra. Founder of Mr. Free At 33. Co-Founder of Dividends & Income. I started blogging about my journey to financial independence back in 2011. By living well below my means and intelligently investing my hard-earned capital, I went from below broke at age 27 to financially free at 33 years old. I regularly create content on dividend growth investing, living off of dividends, undervalued high-quality dividend growth stocks, high-yield situations, and other long-term investment opportuni ...

In this podcast, Motley Fool analyst Tim Beyers and host Dylan Lewis discuss:Comcast's push into the ad market with the Universal Ads platform, and what it means for other players in streaming video advertising like The Trade Desk.Disney's plans with Fubo and its next act in sports streaming bundles.Motley Fool host Anand Chokkavelu talks with Dan Caplinger and David Meier about sports technology company Sportradar.To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. ...