Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 15.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,864,153 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,099,717 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery were worth $114,527,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in Warner Bros. Discovery during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 675 shares during the period. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Warner Bros. Discovery during the second quarter valued at $34,000. Crews Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 1,242.2% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 183.9% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 1,225 shares during the period. 59.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Warner Bros. Discovery Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of WBD stock opened at $27.54 on Friday. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.52 and a 1 year high of $30.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.24 billion, a PE ratio of 144.95 and a beta of 1.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $27.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04) by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $9.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. Warner Bros. Discovery had a net margin of 1.28% and a return on equity of 1.34%. Warner Bros. Discovery’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.05 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -4.33 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WBD shares. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from $14.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Barclays set a $20.00 price target on Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $29.00 price objective on Warner Bros. Discovery in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group increased their target price on Warner Bros. Discovery from $20.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $28.00 target price on Warner Bros. Discovery in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $25.08.

Warner Bros. Discovery News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: An Argus analyst reiterated a positive outlook on WBD, saying the stock is expected to rise—this provides a near-term bullish analyst catalyst that can support the share price. Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Argus Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: Warner Bros. Discovery struck a promotional/distribution partnership with X around the Winter Olympics—such platform deals can broaden reach and ad inventory, supporting ad revenue and streaming promotional efforts. Warner Bros. Discovery Partners With X On Winter Olympics
• Positive Sentiment: Market speculation and trading flow show bets around a possible Warner Bros.–Netflix deal; heightened positioning can amplify moves if deal optimism increases. (High short interest in WBD also raises volatility.) Wall Street traders show their hands with bets on Warner Bros. Discovery-Netflix deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Barry Diller expressed interest in buying CNN from WBD, but WBD publicly said CNN is not for sale and the idea did not advance to the board—this creates occasional M&A chatter but no concrete asset-sale catalyst. Barry Diller Told Warner Discovery He’s Interested in Buying CNN
• Neutral Sentiment: Profiles and commentary on potential leadership/strategy moves (e.g., coverage of David Ellison’s plans) add background on governance and strategic options but contain limited immediate financial detail. What Is David Ellison’s Warner Bros. Endgame?
• Negative Sentiment: Filmmakers and small theaters have urged state attorneys general to block the reported Netflix–Warner Bros. deal—this raises regulatory/legal risk that could scuttle or materially delay any transaction and weigh on the stock. State AGs urged by filmmakers, small theaters to block Netflix-Warner Bros. deal: report
• Negative Sentiment: Industry reporting highlights weakening box-office performance for major franchise films—this is a headwind for WBD’s theatrical revenue and franchise monetization, increasing near-term revenue uncertainty. Hollywood has an IP problem: Box office sales are banking on franchise hits that keep falling flat

Insider Transactions at Warner Bros. Discovery

In other news, CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels sold 242,994 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 918,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,108,730. This represents a 20.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Lori C. Locke sold 4,122 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.92, for a total transaction of $119,208.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 100,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,919,821.04. This trade represents a 3.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 267,116 shares of company stock worth $7,781,731 over the last 90 days. 1.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.