Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) Earns Neutral Rating from Arete Research

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by research analysts at Arete Research in a note issued to investors on Friday. They currently have a $31.25 price objective on the stock. Arete Research’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 8.51% from the stock’s current price.

WBD has been the topic of several other reports. Benchmark increased their target price on Warner Bros. Discovery from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from $23.50 to $27.75 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $31.00 price objective on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Barrington Research cut shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Argus raised their price target on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $25.11.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Down 0.3%

WBD stock opened at $28.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $71.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 151.59 and a beta of 1.64. Warner Bros. Discovery has a 1-year low of $7.52 and a 1-year high of $30.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $28.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.10) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $9.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.33 billion. Warner Bros. Discovery had a net margin of 1.28% and a return on equity of 1.34%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.20) earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Warner Bros. Discovery will post -4.33 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Warner Bros. Discovery

In other Warner Bros. Discovery news, CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels sold 242,994 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.50, for a total value of $7,168,323.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 918,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,108,730. This represents a 20.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Lori C. Locke sold 4,122 shares of Warner Bros. Discovery stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.92, for a total transaction of $119,208.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 100,962 shares in the company, valued at $2,919,821.04. This represents a 3.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 257,116 shares of company stock valued at $7,546,331. Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Warner Bros. Discovery

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 20.2% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 2,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC lifted its position in Warner Bros. Discovery by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 6,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $184,000 after buying an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Optas LLC now owns 15,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. 59.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Warner Bros. Discovery

Here are the key news stories impacting Warner Bros. Discovery this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Warner’s board said Paramount Skydance’s updated $31-per-share, all-cash proposal could be a “Company Superior Proposal”—Paramount also added financing protections/extra equity commitments that reduce execution risk, which supports a higher guaranteed takeover value for WBD holders. PARAMOUNT COMMENTS ON WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY BOARD’S DETERMINATION
• Positive Sentiment: Paramount’s $31 bid and the board’s shift toward entertaining a superior proposal increase the near-term takeover premium on WBD shares (the $31 headline price is above recent trading levels), giving a clearer path to a cash exit for shareholders if that deal closes. After PSKY’s $31 Bid, Could Netflix Exit the WBD Bidding War?
• Neutral Sentiment: WBD reported Q4 results that missed EPS expectations (loss of $0.10 vs. a small consensus gain) and showed ~6% revenue decline year-over-year; streaming subscriber gains were offset by weakness in linear TV and studios—this weak operating backdrop complicates valuation and could affect regulatory/financing conversations. Warner Bros posts 6% fall in quarterly revenue, deal talks in focus
• Negative Sentiment: Netflix publicly declined to raise its offer and has signaled it will not match Paramount’s terms, effectively stepping aside—that removes a bidder that many investors thought could push the price higher, capping upside for WBD if Paramount closes at $31. Netflix, Paramount shares jump as months-long fight for Warner Bros ends
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and political scrutiny remains a wildcard—state and federal reviews of large media deals could delay or block any transaction (Netflix’s earlier regulatory concerns and third‑party scrutiny increase execution risk for a prospective buyer). 11 US states urge DOJ to thoroughly probe Netflix-Warner Bros deal

About Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a global media and entertainment company formed when WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc combined their businesses in 2022. Headquartered in New York City, the company assembles a broad portfolio of film and television production, linear and cable networks, streaming services and consumer distribution operations. Its assets span well-known studio brands, premium scripted and unscripted programming, news and factual entertainment, and licensed franchise properties.

The company’s core activities include film and television production and distribution through units such as Warner Bros.