Comcast Faces Market Struggles Amid Mixed Q1 Results

Philadelphia-based Comcast Corporation (CMCSA), a major player in media and technology, holds a market capitalization of $129.3 billion. The company operates across several segments, including Residential Connectivity & Platforms, Business Services Connectivity, Media, Studios, and Theme Parks.

Stock Performance Lags Behind Market

Over the past year, Comcast’s stock has notably underperformed compared to broader market trends. CMCSA saw a 9.9% decline in 2025 and an 11.5% fall over the previous 52 weeks, which contrasts sharply with the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 4.7% drop year-to-date and a robust 11.7% rise over the last year.

Furthermore, Comcast has not kept pace with the iShares U.S. Telecommunications ETF’s (IYZ) modest 89 basis point increase year-to-date and impressive 31.2% gains over the past year.

Mixed Q1 Results and Customer Base Decline

After releasing its mixed Q1 results on April 24, Comcast’s stock prices dropped by 3.7%. The company added 323,000 domestic wireless lines, but its total customer base shrank by 199,000. Additionally, there were net video customer losses of 427,000, which impacted its overall revenue, causing a year-over-year decline of 57 basis points to $29.9 billion. Despite this, Comcast improved its margins, resulting in a year-over-year adjusted EPS growth of 4.5%, reaching $1.09. Operational cash flows also saw a positive shift, increasing 5.7% year-over-year to $8.3 billion.

Future Earnings Expectations and Analyst Ratings

For the full fiscal year 2025 ending in December, analysts project a slight 69 basis points increase in adjusted EPS to $4.36. On a brighter note, Comcast has a strong history of earnings surprises, having exceeded analyst estimates in each of the last four quarters.

Currently, CMCSA carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating. Of the 30 analysts monitoring the stock, 16 recommend a “Strong Buy,” 12 suggest “Hold,” and two recommend “Strong Sell.”

Analyst Updates on Price Targets

This assessment shows a slightly less optimistic outlook than a month prior when no analysts issued “Strong Sell” ratings for CMCSA. On April 28, Barclays (BCS) analyst Kannan Venkateshwar maintained an “Equal-Weight” rating for CMCSA, lowering the price target to $35.

The mean price target for CMCSA now stands at $40.83, suggesting a potential upside of 20.7% from current levels, while the highest target of $57 presents a possible 68.5% increase.

On the date of publication, Aditya Sarawgi did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article are intended solely for informational purposes. For further details, please refer to the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.

The views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.