QRG Capital Management Inc. Has $8 Million Stake in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 299,996 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,180 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery were worth $7,998,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 21.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 16,616,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $456,301,000 after acquiring an additional 2,980,900 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 130.8% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,008,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,069,000 after purchasing an additional 571,612 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Warner Bros. Discovery by 304.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 68,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $729,000 after purchasing an additional 51,920 shares in the last quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new stake in Warner Bros. Discovery during the fourth quarter valued at about $12,372,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 66,597,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,912,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,028,346 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.95% of the company’s stock.

Warner Bros. Discovery News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital upgraded WBD from “hold” to “strong buy,” adding to the stock’s bullish sentiment. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: Paramount Skydance reportedly said a sale of CNN could be considered to help resolve California’s antitrust lawsuit challenging its proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. Such a concession could improve the transaction’s chances of closing, although it would also reshape the deal’s strategic benefits. Paramount says CNN sale is on the table
• Neutral Sentiment: Paramount CEO David Ellison reportedly threatened to begin moving the company out of California if the state attorney general does not negotiate a settlement. The escalation increases pressure for a resolution but could prolong uncertainty around the WBD merger. Paramount California exit threat
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage continues to describe the Paramount–WBD transaction as being in legal limbo, with an antitrust trial reportedly scheduled for March 2027. The prolonged timetable makes the stock particularly sensitive to regulatory and courtroom developments. Paramount Skydance versus WBD deal analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Director Kenneth W. Lowe sold 120,000 shares for approximately $3.24 million, while insider Gerhard Zeiler sold 591,038 shares worth about $15.99 million. The sizable insider selling may weigh on sentiment, though the filings do not establish the sellers’ motivations. WBD insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: The merger’s antitrust challenges remain a material downside risk: failure or substantial modification of the deal could remove a major source of potential value for WBD shareholders. Democratic scrutiny of the Paramount-WBD deal

Insider Activity at Warner Bros. Discovery

In other Warner Bros. Discovery news, insider Gerhard Zeiler sold 591,038 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.05, for a total value of $15,987,577.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 537,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,537,643.80. This trade represents a 52.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Kenneth W. Lowe sold 120,000 shares of Warner Bros. Discovery stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.97, for a total transaction of $3,236,400.00. Following the sale, the director owned 990,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,703,212.76. The trade was a 10.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Warner Bros. Discovery Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WBD opened at $27.65 on Thursday. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.25 and a fifty-two week high of $30.00. The company has a market cap of $69.32 billion, a PE ratio of -21.77 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.17.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.25 billion. Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 8.91%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -1.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on WBD shares. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a report on Friday, April 24th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Seaport Research Partners lowered shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Warner Bros. Discovery presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.69.

Warner Bros. Discovery Company Profile

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.