Should You Buy Comcast Corp (CMCSA) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Hold
Latest Price
28.410
1 Day change
-1.01%
52 Week Range
37.640
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/28
CMCSA is not a good buy right now for a beginner, long-term investor who is impatient about timing. The stock is technically weak/sideways near support, sentiment into earnings is cautious, analysts have been cutting targets, and recent Congress activity skewed to selling. With Q4 earnings pre-market tomorrow and expectations already pointing to EPS decline and broadband subscriber losses, the risk/reward is unfavorable to initiate a fresh long-term position today.
Technical Analysis
Price/Trend: CMCSA is trading ~28.43 and sits slightly below the pivot (28.577), indicating a weak-to-neutral short-term posture. Key levels: Support S1=27.834 (then S2=27.375); Resistance R1=29.32 (then R2=29.779). Momentum: RSI(6)=42.05 (neutral but leaning weak). MACD histogram is slightly positive (0.0022) but contracting, suggesting fading upside momentum rather than a fresh uptrend. Moving averages are converging, consistent with consolidation after a broader decline. Probabilistic trend read: pattern-based outlook shows a bearish tilt (60% chance of further downside over the next day/week/month).
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals
- [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today.
- [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Options positioning looks more call-leaning than put-leaning (low put/call ratios), which can reflect optimistic positioning or limited hedging. However, implied volatility is elevated (30D IV ~34.85) and IV percentile is high (~85.2), meaning options are priced for larger moves (consistent with imminent earnings). Volume vs average is not elevated (today vs 30D avg ~35.9%), so the bullish skew is not being reinforced by unusually strong trading activity today. Net: mild bullish/skewed sentiment, but event-risk priced in.
Technical Summary
Sell
7
Buy
3
Positive Catalysts
Gross margin improved in the latest reported quarter (2025/Q3), which can support longer-term profitability if sustained. Some analysts still carry Buy ratings and higher targets (e.g., Benchmark), implying upside if broadband trends stabilize and post-spinoff execution is clean. A better-than-feared Q4 print (subs losses/EPS) could drive a relief rally given depressed sentiment.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
Near-term catalyst risk: Q4 earnings on 2026-01-29 pre-market, with expectations for a sizable EPS decline and ~200K broadband subscriber losses—this is directly negative for the core narrative. Industry competition is described as worsening into 2026 (Bernstein commentary). Analyst targets have been repeatedly cut and at least one firm downgraded to Sell with a $23 target (Arete). Congress trading in the last 90 days shows 0 buys and 4 sells, signaling cautious/skeptical behavior from that cohort.
Financial Performance
Latest quarter provided: 2025/Q3. Revenue was 31.198B (-2.72% YoY), Net Income 3.332B (-8.18% YoY), EPS 0.90 (-4.26% YoY). The bright spot was Gross Margin at 59.38% (+5.94% YoY), but overall growth trends were negative (top line, earnings, and EPS down).
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent trend: predominantly cautious to negative. Multiple price target cuts (Bernstein to $32, Scotiabank to $37.5, Barclays to $30, JPMorgan to $33, Citi to $35, Benchmark modestly lowered but kept Buy), plus at least one downgrade to Sell with a $23 target (Arete) and an Oppenheimer downgrade to Perform. Wall Street pros: margin improvement potential, very low historical valuation multiples (per Benchmark commentary), and potential for post-spinoff clarity. Wall Street cons: intensifying competition (especially broadband), expected subscriber losses, and more spending/packaging changes pressuring medium-term EBITDA and confidence.
Wall Street analysts forecast CMCSA stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CMCSA is 33.45 USD with a low forecast of 23 USD and a high forecast of 53 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
22 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast CMCSA stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CMCSA is 33.45 USD with a low forecast of 23 USD and a high forecast of 53 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
7 Buy
12 Hold
3 Sell
Hold
Current: 28.700
Low
23
Averages
33.45
High
53
Current: 28.700
Low
23
Averages
33.45
High
53
Bernstein
Market Perform
maintain
$34 -> $32
AI Analysis
2026-01-16
Reason
Bernstein
Price Target
$34 -> $32
AI Analysis
2026-01-16
maintain
Market Perform
Reason
Bernstein lowered the firm's price target on Comcast to $32 from $34 and keeps a Market Perform rating on the shares. The firm believes we are entering a new era of competition in the industry. Each quarterly update in 2025 reflected worsening competitive dynamics, erasing much of the Telco gains achieved in the first half of the year, while Cable companies continued to decline through the second half, Bernstein argues. This heightened competitive intensity is set to persist into 2026, with little sign of relief given recent strategic actions, it adds.
Scotiabank
Sector Perform
downgrade
2026-01-07
Reason
Scotiabank
Price Target
2026-01-07
downgrade
Sector Perform
Reason
Scotiabank lowered the firm's price target on Comcast to $37.50 from $41.50 and keeps a Sector Perform rating on the shares. The firm is updating its price targets for Telecommunication Services under its coverage ahead of Q4 results, the analyst tells investors. The firm notes that while promotional intensity in wireless was elevated during the holiday season, revenue and EBITDA industry growth remains positive.
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