In partnership with

The Bottom Line Upfront 💡

Comcast Corporation $CMCSA ( ▲ 1.35% ) is a $123.7 billion media and connectivity giant caught between two worlds. On one side, they own the profitable "pipes" that deliver internet to 32 million customers—a cash-generating infrastructure business with genuine competitive moats. On the other, they're spending billions trying to transform from a traditional cable company into a streaming powerhouse through Peacock, while their legacy TV business slowly bleeds customers.

At $29.46 per share, Comcast trades near fair value with limited downside but meaningful upside if their streaming bet pays off. The 4.5% dividend yield provides income while investors wait to see if management can successfully navigate the cord-cutting era. This isn't a growth story—it's a transformation story with a decent dividend attached.

Sponsorship

Peak Rates on the Products You Need

Peak Bank was designed for those who want to bank boldly, providing a 100 percent digital platform that combines convenience and powerful money management tools. Our high-yield savings accounts offer rates as high as 4.35% APY* while remaining accessible and flexible, ensuring you stay in control at all times. Apply online to start your ascent.

Member FDIC

Strata Layers Chart

Layer 1: The Business Model 🏛️

Think of Comcast as the ultimate media landlord with a side hustle in entertainment. They own the pipes that bring the internet to your house, create the shows you binge-watch, and run the theme parks where you spend way too much money on overpriced churros. It's like owning the highway, the gas stations, AND the destinations all at once.

What They Actually Do 🎯

Comcast operates two main businesses that work together like a well-oiled (and highly profitable) machine:

The Connectivity & Platforms Business - This is their bread and butter, generating $81.3 billion in 2024 ↗️. Think of this as the "utility" side of Comcast:

  • Broadband Internet: They connect 31.8 million homes and businesses to the internet through their massive cable network

  • Wireless Services: 7.8 million customers get their cell phone service through Comcast (they rent space on Verizon's towers)

  • Cable TV: Still serving 12.5 million video customers, though this number keeps shrinking ↘️ as people cut the cord

  • Business Services: Selling internet and phone services to companies for $9.7 billion annually

The Content & Experiences Business - This is where the magic happens, bringing in $45.1 billion:

  • Media: NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, and their streaming service Peacock (36 million subscribers ↗️)

  • Studios: Universal Pictures, the folks behind Jurassic Park, Fast & Furious, and those annoyingly catchy Minions movies

  • Theme Parks: Universal Studios locations that let you experience getting chased by dinosaurs and wizards

The Secret Sauce 🧪

What makes Comcast special isn't just that they do all these things—it's how they work together. They can:

  • Show NBC content exclusively on Peacock to drive subscriptions

  • Bundle internet with streaming services to reduce customer churn

  • Turn movie franchises into theme park attractions

  • Use their cable networks to promote their movies and streaming shows

Key Metrics That Matter 📊

Comcast tracks several important numbers that tell you how healthy the business is:

Customer Metrics:

  • Total Customer Relationships: 51.6 million (down 527,000 in 2024) ↘️

  • Broadband Penetration: 49.8% of homes in their service areas have Comcast internet

  • Average Revenue Per Customer: $130.57 per month ↗️

Content Metrics:

  • Peacock Subscribers: 36 million paid subscribers (up 5 million in 2024) ↗️

  • Theme Park Revenue: $8.6 billion (down 3.7% in 2024) ↘️

Financial Health:

  • Adjusted EBITDA: $38.1 billion with a 30.8% margin

  • Free Cash Flow: Around $15+ billion annually

  • Programming Costs: $37.0 billion (their biggest expense)

Layer 2: Category Position 🏆

Comcast is like that kid in school who was good at everything but not necessarily the best at any one thing. They're a major player in multiple industries, which is both their strength and their challenge.

The Connectivity Game 🌐

In broadband, Comcast is the second-largest provider in the US (behind Charter), but they're facing some serious heat:

The Fiber Threat: Companies like AT&T and Verizon are aggressively building fiber networks that can offer faster, more reliable internet than Comcast's cable infrastructure. Fiber is like having a superhighway while cable is more like a really good regular highway—both get you there, but one's clearly superior.

The Wireless Wild Card: 5G home internet is becoming a real alternative. T-Mobile and Verizon can now offer home internet without laying a single cable, which is pretty terrifying if you're in the cable business.

The Streaming Wars 🎬

In the content world, Comcast is fighting on multiple fronts:

Peacock vs. The World: With 36 million subscribers, Peacock is respectable but nowhere near Netflix's 260+ million. They're spending billions to compete, but so is everyone else. It's like an arms race, but with TV shows instead of weapons.

Traditional TV Decline: Their cable networks are losing viewers as people migrate to streaming. It's a slow-motion train wreck that everyone can see coming, which is why they're spinning off these networks.

Movie Studios: Universal Pictures competes with Disney, Warner Bros., and others for box office dominance. They've had hits (Oppenheimer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie) and misses, but their real advantage is being able to turn successful movies into theme park attractions.

Layer 3: Show Me The Money! 📈

Let's dive into how Comcast actually makes their $123.7 billion in annual revenue. Spoiler alert: it's not all from overpriced cable bills (though that's definitely part of it).

Revenue Breakdown by Business 💰

Connectivity & Platforms: $81.3 billion (66% of total)

  • Residential Connectivity: $71.6 billion

    • Domestic Broadband: $26.2 billion ↗️ (growing despite fewer customers)

    • Video Services: $26.9 billion ↘️ (declining as expected)

    • Wireless: $4.3 billion ↗️ (fastest growing segment)

    • International: $4.9 billion ↗️

  • Business Services: $9.7 billion ↗️

Content & Experiences: $45.1 billion (36% of total)

  • Media: $28.1 billion ↗️ (boosted by Olympics coverage)

  • Studios: $11.1 billion ↘️ (fewer blockbuster hits)

  • Theme Parks: $8.6 billion ↘️ (post-pandemic normalization)

Geographic Mix 🌍

  • United States: $96.2 billion (78% of revenue)

  • United Kingdom: $14.2 billion (11% of revenue)

  • Other Markets: $13.3 billion (11% of revenue)

The heavy US concentration makes sense but also creates risk—they're betting big on the American market.

Layer 4: Long-Term Valuation (DCF Model) 💰

Time for the moment of truth: Is Comcast stock actually worth buying at current prices? Let's dig into what this company might actually be worth.

The DCF Analysis Results 📊

Based on a detailed discounted cash flow analysis, Comcast's fair value appears to be somewhere between $30-$77 per share, with the current price around $29.46 (as of 10.15.2025). That's quite a range, and here's why:

Conservative Scenario: ~$30 per share

  • Assumes continued pressure from cord-cutting and competition

  • Modest revenue growth of 1-2% annually

  • Slight margin compression from competitive pressures

  • Higher discount rate reflecting industry challenges

Optimistic Scenario: ~$77 per share

  • Assumes Peacock becomes a major streaming success

  • Broadband business maintains pricing power

  • Operational efficiency drives margin expansion

  • Lower discount rate reflecting infrastructure asset value

Key Valuation Assumptions 🔑

The wide range comes down to a few critical assumptions:

Revenue Growth: Will Comcast grow at 1-2% (mature utility-like business) or 3-4% (successful streaming transformation)? The difference is huge over 10 years.

Peacock Success: The streaming service is currently losing money but has 36 million subscribers. If it reaches profitability and scales to 60+ million subscribers, that's worth billions. If it stagnates, it's a massive cash drain.

Broadband Moats: Can Comcast maintain pricing power as fiber competitors expand? Their network passes 63.7 million homes, but fiber offers superior speeds.

Content Costs: Programming expenses of $37 billion annually could rise or fall depending on sports rights inflation and streaming competition.

Current Price vs. Intrinsic Value 💡

At $29.46, Comcast appears to be trading near the low end of reasonable valuations. This suggests the market is pricing in the conservative scenario—expecting continued challenges from cord-cutting and limited growth prospects.

What This Means for Investors:

  • Limited Downside: The stock appears fairly valued to slightly undervalued

  • Significant Upside IF: Peacock succeeds and broadband maintains pricing power

  • Dividend Yield: 4.5% provides decent income while you wait

Layer 5: What Do We Have to Believe? 📚

Every investment comes down to a set of beliefs about the future. With Comcast, you're essentially betting on a massive corporate transformation while collecting dividends along the way. Let's break down what needs to go right (and wrong) for different investment outcomes.

The Bull Case: Streaming Success Story 🚀

What Bulls Need to Believe:

Peacock Becomes Profitable: The streaming service needs to grow from 36 million to 60+ million subscribers while achieving positive margins. This requires continued exclusive content wins (like Olympics and NFL games) and successful original programming. Netflix proved it's possible, but they had a massive head start.

Broadband Moats Hold: Despite fiber competition and 5G home internet, Comcast's network infrastructure maintains pricing power. Their 63.7 million homes passed represents a massive competitive advantage that can't be easily replicated. Think of it like owning prime real estate—location, location, location.

Wireless Bundling Works: The strategy of bundling wireless with broadband needs to drive customer lifetime value and reduce churn. With 7.8 million wireless lines (up 1.2 million in 2024), early signs are promising.

Content Synergies Pay Off: The ability to create content at Universal Studios, promote it on NBC networks, stream it on Peacock, and turn it into theme park attractions creates a virtuous cycle that pure-play competitors can't match.

The Bear Case: Disruption and Decline 📉

What Bears Worry About:

The Fiber Threat is Real: AT&T, Verizon, and municipal broadband providers are aggressively building fiber networks that offer superior speeds and reliability. Comcast's cable infrastructure becomes the "good enough" option, leading to market share losses and pricing pressure.

Streaming is a Money Pit: Peacock continues burning cash while competing against Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, and others with deeper pockets. Content costs spiral upward while subscriber growth stagnates. The streaming wars become a race to the bottom.

5G Home Internet Disrupts Everything: Wireless carriers perfect home internet delivery, eliminating the need for physical cable connections. This is the ultimate nightmare scenario for cable companies—their entire infrastructure becomes obsolete.

Cord-Cutting Accelerates: Traditional cable TV revenue continues declining faster than expected, while Peacock can't offset the losses. The company becomes a shrinking utility with limited growth prospects.

What I Think 🤔

Comcast is a classic "value trap or value opportunity" situation. The company has real assets, generates substantial cash flows, and trades at reasonable valuations. But they're also fighting several structural headwinds that won't disappear.

The key question isn't whether Comcast will survive (they will), but whether they can successfully transform from a traditional cable company into a modern media and technology company. The jury's still out, but at least you're getting paid 4.5% annually to find out.

AI-written, human-approved

Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, investment recommendations, or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities. The information contained in this report has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but StrataFinance does not guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness.

Reply

or to participate

More From Capital

No posts found