Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Moffett Nathanson

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) was upgraded by Moffett Nathanson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on WBD. Arete Research restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.25 price objective on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a report on Friday, February 27th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $29.00 target price on Warner Bros. Discovery in a report on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Warner Bros. Discovery from $20.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Warner Bros. Discovery from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the company from $29.50 to $31.00 in a report on Friday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Warner Bros. Discovery presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $26.30.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Performance

Shares of WBD stock opened at $27.75 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $68.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 95.69 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. Warner Bros. Discovery has a one year low of $7.52 and a one year high of $30.00. The company’s 50-day moving average is $28.25 and its 200 day moving average is $23.50.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.19). Warner Bros. Discovery had a return on equity of 1.98% and a net margin of 1.95%.The firm had revenue of $9.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.20) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Warner Bros. Discovery will post -4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO David Zaslav sold 4,004,149 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.26, for a total value of $113,157,250.74. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 7,200,627 shares in the company, valued at $203,489,719.02. This trade represents a 35.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Priya Aiyar sold 223,512 shares of Warner Bros. Discovery stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.24, for a total value of $6,311,978.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 919,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,959,676.48. The trade was a 19.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 7,777,159 shares of company stock worth $219,427,326 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Warner Bros. Discovery

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WBD. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its position in Warner Bros. Discovery by 49.9% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,321 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 152.1% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 847 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.95% of the company’s stock.

Warner Bros. Discovery News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Paramount Skydance’s winning bid and renewed investor support (including reported Tencent funding) increases deal certainty, which tends to lift takeover targets like WBD because it narrows the path to a premium exit for shareholders. Tencent Is Said to Be Back On Paramount-Warner Bros Deal With Fresh Funding
• Positive Sentiment: Market chatter reports a structure that could include a passive Tencent investment to support the Paramount‑WBD deal, which improves financing visibility and regulatory odds for the $110B transaction. Market Chatter: Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Skydance, Discuss Passive Tencent Investment for Acquisition Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo resumed/initiated coverage on WBD with an Equal Weight rating and a $31 price target, implying modest upside from current levels but not a strong buy signal; this provides a near‑term benchmark for investors. Wells Fargo resumes coverage / Benzinga summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that former President Trump bought Netflix and WBD bonds amid the bidding war add media and political noise but are unlikely to change fundamentals; they mainly attract headlines around the deal dynamics. Trump bought Netflix and Warner Bros bonds at height of bidding war with Paramount
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales disclosed in recent filings (including large blocks by executives) raise governance and signaling concerns; heavy insider selling often weighs on sentiment for stocks under takeover scrutiny. Insider Selling: Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) Insider Sells
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst moves and commentary are mixed-to-cautious — MoffettNathanson cut to Hold and a veteran exec warned that a Paramount takeover could lead to reduced content output, which could hurt long‑term streaming economics and growth expectations. Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) Cut to Hold at Moffett Nathanson Veteran media exec: Paramount’s acquisition … will likely result in reduced output

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.