Comcast is a leading telecommunications conglomerate primarily operating in the cable and pay television services industry.
It is distinguished as a dominant media and broadband giant, leveraging its extensive network infrastructure for competitive resilience and growth.
Updated: February 19, 2026, 16:00 EST
Based on the provided analysis, here is a comprehensive evaluation of CMCSA.
Technical Analysis CMCSA exhibits strong positive momentum, having significantly outperformed the market with robust short-term gains. While the recent rally suggests it may be approaching overbought levels, the stock is still trading well below its 52-week high, indicating there is potential room for further upward movement before encountering significant resistance.
Fundamentals & Valuation The company's fundamentals present a mixed picture. On one hand, revenue growth is stable and cash flow generation remains healthy, but profitability has recently weakened. CMCSA's valuation is a key attraction; its trailing P/E ratio is very low, suggesting potential undervaluation. However, this is tempered by a weaker forward P/E and a high EV/EBITDA, creating a complex valuation scenario.
Risk Assessment CMCSA carries a below-market beta, implying it should be less volatile than the broader market, which is appealing for risk-conscious investors. The primary risks are industry-related, including intense competition and high capital expenditure demands, rather than immediate financial distress.
Buy Recommendation
CMCSA presents a compelling case for value-oriented investors. Its strong recent momentum, coupled with a seemingly undervalued trailing earnings multiple and stable revenue, are positive indicators. While recent profit margin compression and industry competition are concerns, the stock's relative stability and valuation discount support a positive outlook. For investors seeking a position in a major telecommunications and media conglomerate, CMCSA appears to be a worthwhile consideration at this level.
*Note: This is not investment advice, for reference only.*
Based on the comprehensive analysis provided, here is a 12-month outlook for CMCSA.
12-Month Outlook for CMCSA
The outlook for CMCSA over the next year is moderately positive, driven by its attractive valuation and stable cash flows. Key catalysts include the potential for a rerating as the market acknowledges its undervalued trailing P/E and its continued execution in a stable broadband and streaming market. Primary risks stem from industry headwinds, specifically intense competition pressuring profitability and the persistent need for high capital expenditures. Given the absence of a specific analyst target, a reasonable target price range would be towards testing its 52-week high, implying a potential upside from the current $31.73 level, contingent on an improvement in profit margins.
Most Wall Street analysts are optimistic about Comcast Corporation's 12-month outlook, with consensus target around $31.38, indicating expected upside potential.
Overall, CMCSA has investment potential but also faces challenges. Here are key factors to weigh before investing.
CMCSA has demonstrated robust performance over the recent period, significantly outperforming the broader market driven by strong momentum.
The stock has delivered impressive short-term gains, rising over 14% in the past month and nearly 14% over three months, substantially outperforming the market by more than 13 percentage points over the latter period. This positive momentum indicates strong buyer interest in the near term.
Currently trading at $31.73, CMCSA positions itself in the lower-middle portion of its 52-week range ($25.75-$37.98), approximately 23% above its low. While the recent sharp rally suggests it may be approaching overbought conditions, it remains comfortably distanced from its yearly peak, retaining room for further upside before testing resistance.
| Period | CMCSA Return | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 1m | +11.4% | +1.0% |
| 3m | +12.2% | +1.9% |
| 6m | -2.2% | +6.5% |
| 1y | -13.8% | +12.1% |
| ytd | +6.2% | +0.2% |
Revenue & Profitability CMCSA demonstrated solid revenue growth with quarterly revenue increasing from $31.2B to $32.3B sequentially, while maintaining a stable gross profit margin around 60%. However, profitability weakened significantly as operating income ratio dropped from 17.7% to 10.8% and net margin fell to 6.1% in Q4, primarily due to higher operating expenses and other non-operating charges impacting bottom-line performance.
Financial Health The company maintains moderate leverage with a debt ratio of 40.5% and debt-to-equity of 1.14, though interest coverage declined to 3.1x reflecting tighter debt servicing capacity. Cash flow generation remains healthy with operating cash flow to sales ratio of 27.4%, but the current ratio below 1.0 indicates potential liquidity constraints in covering short-term obligations.
Operational Efficiency CMCSA shows mixed operational efficiency with ROE at a modest 2.0% and asset turnover of 0.12, indicating suboptimal utilization of the company's asset base. The negative cash conversion cycle of -39.5 days demonstrates efficient working capital management, though low fixed asset turnover of 0.46 suggests potential underutilization of long-term assets.
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Try Now & Get Tesla Stock RewardBased on the TTM PE ratio of 5.77, CMCSA appears significantly undervalued from a trailing earnings perspective, despite its higher forward PE of 12.9 suggesting market expectations for lower future earnings. The negative PEG ratio of -0.40, which is typically derived from negative earnings growth expectations, complicates this assessment but the deep discount to historical market valuations remains notable. The high EV/EBITDA of 27.1 indicates that when accounting for debt and other factors, the valuation is much richer, presenting a mixed picture overall.
Without specific industry average data for a direct peer comparison, a conclusive relative valuation cannot be provided. A meaningful analysis would require the benchmark PE, PB, and EV/EBITDA ratios for the telecommunications or media conglomerate sector to determine if CMCSA's metrics represent a premium or discount to its competitors. This context is essential for framing whether its current market multiples are attractive.
Volatility Risk: CMCSA demonstrates below-market volatility with a beta of 0.793, indicating it is typically less volatile than the broader market. However, the stock experienced a significant maximum drawdown of -29.61% over the past year, highlighting its susceptibility to substantial price declines during market downturns. This suggests that while its day-to-day price movements are relatively muted, it is not immune to severe corrections.
Other Risks: The absence of notable short interest implies that bearish sentiment from sophisticated investors is currently limited, which is a neutral-to-positive signal. The primary risks likely stem from industry-specific factors such as intense competition in the media and telecommunications sectors, shifting consumer preferences, and significant capital expenditure requirements for network maintenance and expansion.
Based on the mixed analysis, I maintain a neutral stance on CMCSA despite its attractive valuation. The stock appears fundamentally cheap with a low PE ratio and trades at a discount to its highs, but profitability is weakening, operational efficiency is mixed, and it faces significant industry headwinds like cord-cutting and intense competition. This stock may suit patient, value-oriented investors who believe management can navigate sector challenges, but it lacks clear near-term catalysts given analyst skepticism.
Based on the valuation metrics provided, CMCSA appears to be undervalued.
The key valuation metrics support this view: a trailing PE of 5.77 is exceptionally low, a Price-to-Sales (PS) ratio of 0.92 is below 1.0, and a Price-to-Book (PB) ratio of 1.17 is only slightly above book value.
The primary reason for this undervaluation is the market's negative reaction to its recent sharp decline in profitability, as evidenced by the falling operating and net margins. This has overshadowed the company's solid revenue growth and healthy cash flow generation. While the negative PEG ratio and high EV/EBITDA present a more complex picture, the deep discount on absolute earnings and sales multiples suggests the stock is priced pessimistically relative to its current financials.
Based on the provided information, here are the key risks of holding CMCSA stock, ordered by importance:
1. Profitability Pressure: Quarterly profitability has weakened significantly, with the net margin falling to 6.1%, indicating vulnerability to rising operating expenses and potential inefficiencies. 2. Significant Price Decline Risk: Despite a low beta, the stock experienced a maximum drawdown of -29.61% in the past year, showing it remains susceptible to severe corrections during market stress. 3. Intense Industry Competition: The company faces substantial competitive pressures in both media and telecommunications, which can erode market share and pressure pricing. 4. Tightening Liquidity and Debt Servicing: A current ratio below 1.0 signals potential short-term liquidity constraints, while a declining interest coverage ratio of 3.1x reflects reduced capacity to service its debt.
Based on its current trajectory, CMCSA's stock is forecast to reach a base case target of $38-$42 by 2026, with a bull case of $45-$50, representing moderate growth from the current $31.73. Key growth drivers include the stabilization of its Peacock streaming platform's profitability and continued high-margin broadband subscriber growth, offsetting legacy video losses. Our main assumptions are that competitive pressures and capital expenditure needs persist but are managed effectively, and that the market revalues the stock as its transition to a connectivity and streaming leader solidifies. This forecast is highly uncertain, as it hinges on the unpredictable evolution of the media landscape and the success of its strategic investments against well-funded competitors.