Viacom, Inc. (VIAB) Position Trimmed by First Manhattan Co.

First Manhattan Co. decreased its position in shares of Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAB) by 18.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 160,871 shares of the company’s stock after selling 35,915 shares during the quarter. First Manhattan Co.’s holdings in Viacom were worth $4,134,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIAB. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Viacom by 507.6% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Dubuque Bank & Trust Co. boosted its stake in Viacom by 1,686.7% during the 4th quarter. Dubuque Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,771 shares during the last quarter. We Are One Seven LLC bought a new position in Viacom during the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. Quantamental Technologies LLC bought a new position in Viacom in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Viacom by 100.7% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,879 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,000 after buying an additional 1,946 shares in the last quarter. 78.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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NASDAQ VIAB opened at $29.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.50. Viacom, Inc. has a 12-month low of $23.31 and a 12-month high of $34.58. The company has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a PE ratio of 7.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.49.

Viacom (NASDAQ:VIAB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 16th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.04. Viacom had a net margin of 13.28% and a return on equity of 23.68%. The company had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.37 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Viacom, Inc. will post 4.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. Viacom’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.42%.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VIAB shares. Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Viacom in a research note on Thursday, November 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $34.00 price target on the stock. Barrington Research raised shares of Viacom from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 2nd. BidaskClub raised shares of Viacom from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 19th. UBS Group lowered shares of Viacom from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $34.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, November 5th. Finally, Imperial Capital raised shares of Viacom from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $30.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Friday, January 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.68.

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Viacom Company Profile

Viacom Inc operates media brands that create entertainment content worldwide. It operates through two segments, Media Networks and Filmed Entertainment. The Media Networks segment offers entertainment content, services, and related branded products for consumers through approximately 314 locally programmed and operated television channels, including Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Nick Jr., VH1, TV Land, CMT, Logo, Channel 5, Milkshake!, Telefe, Colors, Paramount Channel, TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick Music, MTV2, MTV Classic, MTV Live, BET Her, BET Gospel, and BET Hip Hop, as well as through online, mobile, and apps.

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