O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Increases Holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 41.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm 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 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 2,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC boosted its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 6,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $184,000 after acquiring an additional 425 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,879 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares during the period. Finally, Optas LLC grew its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Optas LLC now owns 15,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $436,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on WBD. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from $23.50 to $27.75 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Moffett Nathanson upgraded Warner Bros. Discovery from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Warner Bros. Discovery from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Huber Research raised Warner Bros. Discovery from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.04.

More Warner Bros. Discovery News

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.

Insider Transactions at Warner Bros. Discovery

In related news, Director Fazal F. Merchant sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 26.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul A. Gould sold 600,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.35, for a total value of $16,410,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:WBD opened at $26.56 on Wednesday. The firm 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $27.16 and a 200 day moving average of $27.48.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $8.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.18) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Warner Bros. Discovery 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.