Why Comcast Stock Dived by Almost 13% Today
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By Eric Volkman – Apr 24, 2026 at 7:18PM ESTKey PointsThe stock's drop followed a pop on Thursday after the company published first quarter earnings.It beat on both the top and bottom lines.One day after Comcast (CMCSA 12.90%) published its latest set of quarterly results, an analyst's downgrade put the hurt on the stock. It suffered a nearly 13% decline on Friday, in sharp contrast to the healthy gain it posted on earnings day. Time for a downgrade Comcast scored a double beat on the consensus pundit estimates for its first quarter, but not all of those analysts were impressed by the feat. Before market open Friday, Deutsche Bank's Bryan Craft downgraded his recommendation on the media company's stock to hold from his preceding buy. He also shaved his price target to $34 per share from $35. Image source: Getty Images. According to reports, Craft's new view is based on his reduced estimates for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and free cash flow (FCF) from 2027 onward. While he acknowledged that Comcast did better than many expected in that inaugural quarter, he doubts this can be repeated across the coming periods. Craft cited stiff competition in the broadband segment as another headwind, and said that with its recent price appreciation, the company's stock wasn't as compelling as it was previously. ExpandNASDAQ: CMCSAComcastToday's Change(-12.90%) $-4.08Current Price$27.56Key Data PointsMarket Cap$114BDay's Range$27.50 - $31.0352wk Range$24.12 - $34.34Volume66MAvg Vol33MGross Margin58.64%Dividend Yield4.04% Not the biggest fish in the sea Media stocks can be very up-and-down, and with the recent Paramount Skydance blockbuster deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, we're in one of the more volatile times. Comcast is now looking like something of a minnow next to the whale that will be the combined Skydance/Warner Bros. And despite a presence in the theme parks segment (with its Universal parks), I don't think it's differentiated enough to be compelling at its current valuations. I wouldn't be a buyer of the stock.Read NextApr 23, 2026 •By Rich SmithWhy Comcast Stock Boomed TodayApr 23, 2026 •By Motley Fool TranscribingComcast (CMCSA) Q1 2026 Earnings TranscriptApr 23, 2026 •By Motley Fool TranscribingComcast (CMCSA) Q3 2024 Earnings TranscriptApr 20, 2026 •By Bryan WhiteComcast Trades at Just 8 Times Earnings After Losing 711,000 Broadband Subs Last YearApr 16, 2026 •By Matt DiLalloNetflix (NFLX) Competitors: Streaming AlternativesApr 24, 2026 •By Joe TenebrusoWhy Intel Stock Skyrocketed TodayAbout the AuthorEric Volkman is a contributing Motley Fool finance and stock market analyst. Previously, Eric was an equities analyst at European investment bank Raiffeisen Capital and Investment. He’s also been a freelance finance writer since 1995. He studied at Susquehanna University.TMFVolkmanStocks MentionedComcastNASDAQ: CMCSA$27.56(-12.90%)-$4.08Deutsche Bank AktiengesellschaftNYSE: DB$31.81(+1.34%)+$0.42Warner Bros. DiscoveryNASDAQ: WBD$27.07(+0.63%)+$0.17Paramount SkydanceNASDAQ: PSKY$10.96(-2.79%)-$0.32*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.