Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) Short Interest Update
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyWarner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 77,486,708 shares, a decrease of 21.7% from the December 31st total of 98,974,919 shares. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 26,076,592 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days. Based on an average trading volume of 26,076,592 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels sold 242,994 shares of Warner Bros. Discovery stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.50, for a total value of $7,168,323.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 918,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,108,730. The trade was a 20.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Lori C. Locke sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.62, for a total value of $138,100.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 110,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,040,520.08. The trade was a 4.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 267,116 shares of company stock valued at $7,781,731 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Warner Bros. Discovery
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Concord Wealth Partners raised its holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery by 49.9% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 152.1% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 847 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in Warner Bros. Discovery by 66.5% during the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 81.5% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. 59.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research firms have recently commented on WBD. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from $16.00 to $23.50 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Singular Research upgraded Warner Bros. Discovery to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on Warner Bros. Discovery from $20.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Arete Research lifted their price target on Warner Bros. Discovery from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $25.08.
Get Our Latest Report on Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Warner Bros. Discovery this week:
- Positive Sentiment: An Argus analyst reiterated a positive outlook on WBD, saying the stock is expected to rise—this provides a near-term bullish analyst catalyst that can support the share price. Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Argus Analyst Says
- Positive Sentiment: Warner Bros. Discovery struck a promotional/distribution partnership with X around the Winter Olympics—such platform deals can broaden reach and ad inventory, supporting ad revenue and streaming promotional efforts. Warner Bros. Discovery Partners With X On Winter Olympics
- Positive Sentiment: Market speculation and trading flow show bets around a possible Warner Bros.–Netflix deal; heightened positioning can amplify moves if deal optimism increases. (High short interest in WBD also raises volatility.) Wall Street traders show their hands with bets on Warner Bros. Discovery-Netflix deal
- Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Barry Diller expressed interest in buying CNN from WBD, but WBD publicly said CNN is not for sale and the idea did not advance to the board—this creates occasional M&A chatter but no concrete asset-sale catalyst. Barry Diller Told Warner Discovery He’s Interested in Buying CNN
- Neutral Sentiment: Profiles and commentary on potential leadership/strategy moves (e.g., coverage of David Ellison’s plans) add background on governance and strategic options but contain limited immediate financial detail. What Is David Ellison’s Warner Bros. Endgame?
- Negative Sentiment: Filmmakers and small theaters have urged state attorneys general to block the reported Netflix–Warner Bros. deal—this raises regulatory/legal risk that could scuttle or materially delay any transaction and weigh on the stock. State AGs urged by filmmakers, small theaters to block Netflix-Warner Bros. deal: report
- Negative Sentiment: Industry reporting highlights weakening box-office performance for major franchise films—this is a headwind for WBD’s theatrical revenue and franchise monetization, increasing near-term revenue uncertainty. Hollywood has an IP problem: Box office sales are banking on franchise hits that keep falling flat
Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Down 0.2%
Shares of NASDAQ WBD opened at $27.54 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 144.95 and a beta of 1.64. Warner Bros. Discovery has a one year low of $7.52 and a one year high of $30.00. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.63. 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 – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04) by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $9.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.17 billion. Warner Bros. Discovery had a net margin of 1.28% and a return on equity of 1.34%. Warner Bros. Discovery’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.05 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Warner Bros. Discovery will post -4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.
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.