Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. $WBD

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,748,072 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 69,544 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery were worth $79,199,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery by 304.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 68,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $729,000 after purchasing an additional 51,920 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 50.5% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 63,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $679,000 after purchasing an additional 21,228 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 65,082 shares of the company’s stock worth $698,000 after purchasing an additional 3,779 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 91.6% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 116,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 55,837 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 111,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,277,000 after buying an additional 4,062 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.95% of the company’s stock.

Warner Bros. Discovery News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Global streaming growth and HBO Max expansion accelerated subscriber gains, pushing total subs above 140 million — a key proof point for WBD’s recurring‑revenue story. Warner Bros. Discovery tops 140M subs as Paramount sale nears
• Positive Sentiment: Management emphasized HBO Max as “probably” the company’s most important asset — underlining focus on global streaming and monetization strategy that could support long‑term margins and valuation. David Zaslav Says HBO Max Is “Probably” Warner Bros. Discovery’s “Most Important Asset”
• Positive Sentiment: Streaming revenue grew better‑than‑expected in the quarter as HBO Max’s international push boosted engagement — a sign that core subscription metrics are improving despite near‑term noise. Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming growth accelerates on global HBO Max push
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts at Guggenheim reaffirmed a neutral rating on WBD, leaving guidance/estimates unchanged — a steadying but non‑catalytic signal for the stock. Benzinga coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Speculative commentary and takeover chatter continue (including analysis that a Paramount Skydance acquisition could occur), which keeps buyout expectations in play but also raises execution and timing uncertainty. Warner Bros. Discovery: Time To Look Forward To Paramount
• Negative Sentiment: WBD reported a large first‑quarter net loss driven by a $2.8B termination fee tied to the deal shuffle (Paramount/Netflix swap), producing a reported ~$2.9B hit that is expected to be largely a one‑time accounting charge but crushed headline profitability. WBD Sees $2.9 Billion Q1 Loss On M&A Charges Including Termination Fee
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly results missed expectations: EPS missed by a wide margin (reported loss $1.17 vs. consensus ~($0.10)), and revenue was roughly flat/down year‑over‑year — details that pressured the stock once one‑time noise was stripped away. Warner Bros. Discovery Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: Press commentary around legacy news brands (e.g., Ted Turner’s criticisms of CNN) adds reputational noise but is unlikely to be a primary driver of near‑term financials. Ted Turner Watched CNN Go From “World Peace Through Hard News” to “Dumbed Down” Infotainment

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on WBD. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Warner Bros. Discovery in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $31.00 price target for the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Warner Bros. Discovery from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a report on Friday, April 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $31.00 target price on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from $23.50 to $27.75 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $26.36.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Down 0.3%

Warner Bros. Discovery stock opened at $27.12 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $67.98 billion, a PE ratio of -38.74 and a beta of 1.57. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $8.06 and a fifty-two week high of $30.00.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by ($1.07). Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative return on equity of 4.66% and a negative net margin of 4.67%.The firm had revenue of $8.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.18) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -0.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels sold 617,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.25, for a total value of $17,446,635.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 691,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,536,852.50. This represents a 47.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO David Zaslav sold 4,004,149 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.26, for a total transaction of $113,157,250.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 7,200,627 shares in the company, valued at $203,489,719.02. The trade was a 35.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 8,206,827 shares of company stock worth $230,674,025 in the last quarter. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Warner Bros. Discovery

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.