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Comcast Corporation (CMCSA)

Communication Services Dividend payerS&P 500

Comcast is a massive American media and technology giant that provides broadband internet, cable television, and owns the NBCUniversal entertainment empire.

$25.20

Is Comcast Corporation a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Strong cash flow from essential broadband services. Worth weighing: Facing a long-term decline in traditional cable TV subscriptions.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price-30.2%
= past earnings-report date
Priced in USD. As a UK investor your £ return also moves with the pound-to-dollar exchange rate, even inside an ISA - a stronger pound can trim your £ gains and a weaker pound can add to them, whatever the share price itself does.
52-week range-19% past year
$25.20
Low $21.28High $32.86
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.

Is this normal for this company?

Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.

Price to earnings
6.6now
5.87.9

Share price divided by the earnings actually reported over the four most recent quarters. The range is the same calculation at each of this company's last few results, so roughly the past year.

Net profit margin
11.8%now
6.7%36.7%

Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.

How these ranges are built

Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.

What does Comcast Corporation do?

Comcast makes its money by charging households for internet and TV services, while also generating cash through its film studios, theme parks, and television networks. It is essentially a hybrid business that balances the steady, utility-like income of broadband with the hit-or-miss nature of the entertainment industry. Their challenge to watch is managing the decline of traditional cable TV while growing their streaming and internet subscriber base.

On our factor screen it looks strongest on value and income, and weakest on growth.

Quick checks
What's strong
  • Value screens high
  • Income screens high
What to watch
  • Growth screens low

Does Comcast Corporation pay a dividend?

Yes - Comcast Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 5.2% a year, which is £52 a year for every £1,000 invested (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it. An ISA doesn't shelter the US tax on this one →

What do the numbers say about Comcast Corporation's dividend?

There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.

Dividend yield5.2%£52 a year for every £1,000 invested. The yearly dividend as a percentage of today's price. A very high figure often means the price has fallen because the market expects a cut, so a big yield is a question to look into, not a prize.
Payout ratio42%about 42 in every 100 pounds of profit. The share of profit paid out as dividends. A lower figure leaves headroom; near or above 100% means most or all of the profit is going out as dividends.
Dividend cover2.4×Profit divided by the dividend (the payout ratio the other way up). As a rough convention many income investors like around 2× or more; below 1× means the company paid out more than it earned that year.

Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.

Most recent ex-dividend date: 1 Jul 2026. To receive a dividend you must already own the shares before the ex-dividend date; become a holder on or after it and the previous owner keeps that payment. Why the price usually falls that morning →

Does Comcast Corporation have more cash or more debt?

It holds about $7.66B in cash against about $90.38B of debt - so it has net debt of about $82.72B. Debt is not automatically a problem - it funds growth - but it has to be serviced and repaid, which matters more when profits wobble.

From the latest reported balance sheet. Cash and debt levels change, and some borrowing is normal - this is context, not a judgment.

What do Comcast Corporation's numbers mean?

P/E
8.22
This shows how much you are paying for every pound of the company's profit; a lower number suggests the market is currently pricing the company quite cautiously.
Lower than most of the 40 Communication Services shares we cover
Gross margin
69.4%
This indicates that for every pound of sales, the company keeps over 70 pence after paying for the direct costs of providing its services.
Higher than most of the 52 Communication Services shares we cover
Dividend yield
5.2%
This is the annual cash payout to shareholders as a percentage of the share price, which can be an attractive feature for those looking for regular income.
Higher than most of the 52 Communication Services shares we cover
Beta
0.7
A beta below 1.0 suggests that the share price tends to be less jumpy and volatile than the wider stock market.

How has it performed?

Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
If you had put $1,000 into Comcast Corporation
$698-30%

Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.

How much has Comcast Corporation actually fallen?

−48%

Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Comcast Corporation fell as much as −48% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.

Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.

How has it done year by year?

2022-29%
2023+29%
2024-12%
2025-17%
2026 so far-5%

Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.

A closer look at the numbers

Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'.
$91.02B
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
35.85M
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
$25.00 – $25.41
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
$21.28 – $32.86
P/E ratio: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth.
8.2
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
5.2%
Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down.
0.65

Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?

One share costs$25.20
Number of shares3.61 billion
So the whole company is worth$91.02bn
A £5 share is not cheaper than a £500 one - it means the company cut itself into more slices. Whether the total looks high or low is what the figures below are for; we don't give a verdict.

Who owns Comcast Corporation?

Big institutions 95%Company insiders 1%Public & smaller investors 4%

About 95% of Comcast Corporation, or about 95 in every 100 shares, is held by big institutions such as pension and index funds, and company insiders hold about 1%. The rest, roughly 4%, is held by the public and smaller investors.

What this does and doesn't tell you

This is a recent snapshot of the share register, and it moves. We don't read anything into who owns what - a high institutional share is common for any large listed company and is not a signal about it.

How bumpy is it?Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down. 0.65
Calm
Wild
Steadier than most

Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.

Why has it been moving?▲ +1% past week · ▼ -19% past year

Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.

How much money does Comcast Corporation make?

Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.

RevenueNet income
$0$8.08B$16.16B$24.23B$32.31BQ2 25Q3 25Q4 25Q1 26Q2 26
Gross margin
69.4%
Net margin
9.0%
Return on equity
11.5%

Where does each £100 of Comcast Corporation's sales go?

Making the product or service £31Running costs, tax and interest £60Left as profit £9

A rough split of the latest full-year figures: of every £100 of sales, about £31 covers making the product or service, £60 goes on running costs, tax and interest, and about £9 is left as profit. Margins vary a lot by industry, and one-off items can distort a single year.

When does Comcast Corporation report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?

Comcast Corporation is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-29 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.

‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.

Comcast Corporation: reported versus expected earnings per share, recent quarters
ReportedExpected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number.Actual EPSvs expected
2026-07-23$0.97$1.04Beat +8%
2026-04-23$0.73$0.79Beat +8%
2026-01-29$0.76$0.84Beat +11%
2025-10-30$1.10$1.12Beat +2%
2025-07-31$1.18$1.25Beat +6%
2025-04-24$0.99$1.09Beat +10%

Across the last 6 quarters here, Comcast Corporation came in ahead of what analysts expected 6 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.

See who else reports over the next two weeks →

Where these figures come from

Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.

What are the scenarios for Comcast Corporation?

An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.

◀ lowerhigher ▶todayBull▲ UpsideBase• In-lineBear▼ Downside
Bull
+5% to +10%Stronger than expected growth in broadband subscribers.
Base
-2% to +2%Stable performance in line with current market trends.
Bear
-5% to -10%Higher costs in the media division dragging down overall profits.

What are the pros, cons and common questions?

The case each way, and the questions people ask
The bull case

Dominance in high-speed internet and successful media pivots.

The bear case

Structural decline in traditional media revenue and high debt levels.

What are the pros and cons of Comcast Corporation?

3bull points
6bear points

A balance check, not a score or verdict.

The bull case3
  • Strong cash flow from essential broadband services
  • Diverse revenue streams across media and theme parks
  • Attractive dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone. for income-focused portfolios
The catch3
  • Facing a long-term decline in traditional cable TV subscriptions
  • High competition in the streaming and internet markets
  • Recent earnings growth has been negative
Key risks3
  • Rapid changes in how consumers access entertainment
  • Heavy reliance on the health of the US consumer economy
  • Significant debt levels common in the telecommunications sector
What would flip the thesis

The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.

  • A sudden, sustained return to growth in cable TV subscriptions
  • A major technological breakthrough that makes current broadband infrastructure obsolete

Common questions about Comcast Corporation

Does Comcast Corporation pay a dividend?

Yes - Comcast Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 5.2% a year. Dividends are a share of profit paid to holders; the yield moves with the price and payouts can be cut.

When does Comcast Corporation report earnings next?

Comcast Corporation is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-10-29. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.

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Confidence: medium · data: USD · flags: none · Charts by TradingView Lightweight Charts™
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Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →

This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.

Prices as of 11 Sep 2026; other figures as of 11 Aug 2026. Prices may be delayed and numbers can go stale - always double-check before acting.