Stock Market Today, Dec. 17: Comcast Jumps Again on Activist Investor Buzz and Versant Spinoff
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By Emma Newbery – Dec 17, 2025 at 6:11PM ESTNASDAQ: CMCSAComcastMarket Cap$108BToday's Changeangle-down(1.98%) $0.59Current Price$30.32Price as of December 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM ETComcast is pushing upward due to activist buzz, positive spin-off reception and a successful expansion today, Dec. 17, 2025.ExpandNASDAQ: CMCSAComcastToday's Change(1.98%) $0.59Current Price$30.32Key Data PointsMarket Cap$108BDay's Range$29.43 - $30.5952wk Range$25.75 - $38.94Volume72MAvg Vol33MGross Margin59.02%Dividend Yield4.37%Comcast (CMCSA +1.98%), a broadband and wireless connectivity provider, closed Wednesday’s session at $30.32, up 1.98%. Trading volume reached 67.7 million shares, about 105% above its three-month average of 33 million shares.Today's gains continued Comcast's upward trend from the past five days. Wednesday’s move followed activist-investor buzz as well as news from earlier in the week about its successful network expansion in Connecticut. Investors will be watching upcoming earnings for commentary on broadband growth and capital allocation. How the markets moved todayThe S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) fell 1.15% to 6,722, while the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) dropped 1.81% to 22,694.
Within Telecom Services, industry peers Charter Communications (CHTR 0.76%) slipped 0.77% and AT&T (T +1.12%) gained 1.20%.What this means for investorsThis week's uptick in Comcast's price may come as a relief to investors. The stock is down 21.86% year-on-year, in part due to concerns about falling broadband subscribers. One driver for the roughly 5% intraday jump was a CNBC report that unusual trading activity may indicate activist investor interest.When-issued trading of Versant, Comcast's cable network spinoff, began on Monday. The new company's shares have been authorized but not yet issued. The shares performed well in initial trading, which likely helped to boost Comcast's price. Comcast also announced it had completed a network expansion in Litchfield County, Connecticut. The network aims to reach 22,000 new homes and businesses.About the AuthorEmma Newberry is a contributing Motley Fool cryptocurrency analyst covering digital currencies and blockchain trends. She previously wrote for Motley Fool Money (formerly The Ascent) on personal finance, investing, retirement readiness, and crypto. Earlier in her career, Emma founded an English-language newspaper in Colombia and contributed to Olympic city bid campaigns. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature with creative writing from the University of East Anglia in the UK.TMFemmanewberyRead NextNov 28, 2024 •By Motley Fool StaffComcast Spins Out Cable NetworksOct 21, 2024 •By Travis HoiumWhy Netflix Stock Is Crushing the CompetitionAug 8, 2024 •By James BrumleyComcast and Charter Lost Another 269,000 Broadband Customers Last Quarter.
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