O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Raises Position in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 41.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 486,029 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 143,237 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery were worth $14,007,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WBD. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in Warner Bros. Discovery during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 81.5% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co grew its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 4,730.8% in the 4th quarter. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co now owns 1,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Warner Bros. Discovery

In other Warner Bros. Discovery news, Director Paul A. Gould sold 600,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.35, for a total transaction of $16,410,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 244,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,683,163.95. This represents a 71.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Fazal F. Merchant sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.48, for a total value of $961,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 95,539 shares in the company, valued at $2,625,411.72. This represents a 26.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WBD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from $23.50 to $27.75 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Argus cut their target price on Warner Bros. Discovery from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Huber Research raised Warner Bros. Discovery from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Monday, March 9th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $31.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.04.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Performance

NASDAQ WBD opened at $26.56 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $66.59 billion, a PE ratio of -37.94 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.11 and a 52-week high of $30.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.48.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last released its 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). Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative net margin of 4.67% and a negative return on equity of 4.77%. The company had revenue of $8.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.18) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -0.93 EPS for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Warner Bros. Discovery

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

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual call option buying suggests traders are positioning for a move higher, likely tied to takeover-related upside or deal speculation.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Paramount Skydance is making regulatory concessions to preserve the acquisition indicate management is actively trying to keep the deal alive.
• Positive Sentiment: The market is still assigning value to the merger, with commentary noting the stock offers a meaningful spread to the deal price, which can attract merger arbitrage investors. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Britain’s competition regulator has formally begun reviewing Paramount Skydance’s planned acquisition, a procedural step that keeps the process moving but adds timeline risk. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Proxy adviser ISS’s opposition to executive pay tied to the merger highlights governance scrutiny around the transaction, but it does not directly block the deal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Media reports about Bari Weiss potentially overseeing CNN editorial operations reflect possible post-deal restructuring, adding color to the merger narrative without changing the core financial case.
• Negative Sentiment: Paramount’s alleged accusations against Netflix and the broader “deal drama” underscore a contentious process that could increase uncertainty and weigh on the stock if negotiations stall.
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary warns the current share price may be below the value implied by the takeover, but still leaves investors exposed to deal-completion risk if approvals or conditions become problematic.

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.