Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 18,736,600 Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 281,214,155 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,736,600 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.36% of Warner Bros. Discovery worth $5,492,112,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WBD. Concord Wealth Partners raised its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 49.9% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery by 152.1% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 847 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 66.5% in the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 1,242.2% during the 3rd quarter. Crews Bank & Trust now owns 1,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.95% of the company’s stock.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WBD opened at $28.75 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 151.32 and a beta of 1.64. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a one year low of $7.52 and a one year high of $30.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90.

Warner Bros. Discovery News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: WBD will engage with Paramount to solicit a best-and-final offer after Netflix granted a seven‑day waiver, creating the chance of a higher takeover price that could lift the stock. Warner Bros Seeks Paramount’s “Best and Final Offer,” Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Paramount reportedly signaled willingness to raise its bid to $31+ per share if engaged — a higher cash offer would pressure Netflix to respond and could boost WBD’s takeover value. Warner Reopens Talks With Paramount After Sweetened Offer
• Positive Sentiment: The board unanimously recommends shareholders vote for the Netflix merger and set a March 20 meeting — that endorsement provides downside support if Paramount talks fail, reducing near‑term tail risk. Netflix grants Warner Bros. Discovery 7-day waiver to hold deal talks with Paramount Skydance
• Neutral Sentiment: Opinion and broad press coverage are dissecting which bid is truly superior — useful for sentiment but not an immediate catalyst. Opinion | The Warner Bros. Fight Isn’t Over
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor letters and analyst writeups highlighting WBD’s Q4 performance may attract longer‑term interest but aren’t driving the intraday move. Here’s What Lifted Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) in Q4
• Negative Sentiment: WBD warns that employees could quit if Paramount’s takeover succeeds — a potential execution and retention risk that could concern investors about post‑deal disruption. Warner Bros. Discovery says it’s worried employees will quit if it picks Paramount’s offer
• Negative Sentiment: WBD and analysts flag structural/financing risks in Paramount’s all‑cash, debt‑backed proposal — if financing weakens the deal could be renegotiated or collapse, adding downside risk. Warner Bros rejects Paramount’s revised offer, but gives studio a week to negotiate better deal

Insider Transactions at Warner Bros. Discovery

In related news, CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels sold 242,994 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.50, for a total value of $7,168,323.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 918,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,108,730. The trade was a 20.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Lori C. Locke sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.62, for a total transaction of $138,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 110,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,040,520.08. This represents a 4.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 267,116 shares of company stock valued at $7,781,731 over the last ninety days. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WBD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $29.00 target price on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Warner Bros. Discovery from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Warner Bros. Discovery from $14.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Warner Bros. Discovery from $13.00 to $14.75 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Argus upped their price target on Warner Bros. Discovery from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $25.09.

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.