Fisher Funds Management LTD Grows Stock Holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

Fisher Funds Management LTD lifted its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 29.5% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 899,932 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 205,000 shares during the period. Fisher Funds Management LTD’s holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery were worth $23,992,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Warner Bros. Discovery during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,123,807,000. Duquesne Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $74,916,000. Amundi grew its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 59.6% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 15,523,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,189,000 after buying an additional 5,798,592 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery during the third quarter valued at approximately $100,135,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 509.5% during the fourth quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 5,981,814 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,396,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000,437 shares in the last quarter. 59.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Warner Bros. Discovery News

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research lowered Warner Bros. Discovery from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Huber Research raised shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Seaport Research Partners cut shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kenneth W. Lowe sold 120,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.97, for a total value of $3,236,400.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 990,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,703,212.76. This represents a 10.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 transaction, the insider owned 537,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,537,643.80. The trade was a 52.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Performance

Shares of WBD opened at $27.65 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $26.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.17. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a 52 week low of $11.25 and a 52 week high of $30.00. The stock has a market cap of $69.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.77 and a beta of 1.55.

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

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.