Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD Shares Sold by Prospera Financial Services Inc

Prospera Financial Services Inc lessened its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 42.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 380,242 shares of the company’s stock after selling 282,023 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery were worth $10,137,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 21.9% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 16,616,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $456,301,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980,900 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 571,612 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 304.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 68,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $729,000 after acquiring an additional 51,920 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new position in Warner Bros. Discovery during the 4th quarter worth about $12,372,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 1.6% in the 4th 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.95% of the company’s stock.

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

Insider Activity at Warner Bros. Discovery

In other news, Director Kenneth W. Lowe sold 120,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 990,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,703,212.76. This represents a 10.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $15,987,577.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 537,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,537,643.80. This represents a 52.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WBD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a report on Thursday, May 7th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Warner Bros. Discovery from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Huber Research raised Warner Bros. Discovery from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Seaport Research Partners cut shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Two 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.69.

Warner Bros. Discovery Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WBD opened at $27.65 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.77 and a beta of 1.55. The business has a 50-day moving average of $26.49 and a 200-day moving average of $27.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.25 and a fifty-two week high of $30.00.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by $0.20. Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative return on equity of 8.91% and a negative net margin of 8.77%.The business had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.63 earnings per share. Warner Bros. Discovery’s revenue was down 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -1.13 earnings per share 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.