Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is at the center of a high-stakes takeover battle, with both Netflix (NFLX) and Paramount Skydance (PSKY) vying for the media giant. As the bidding plays out, attention is increasingly turning to WBD’s shareholders, whose support will be critical in determining whether a deal moves forward. At the same time, prediction market Polymarket is pointing to a potential front-runner. That makes this a good time to take a closer look at who owns WBD stock.
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In a new report dated December 10, Freedom Capital Markets analyst Saken Ismailov raised his price target on Warner Bros. to $30 from $10, while keeping a Hold rating. He said the company’s latest results missed expectations, with ad sales still under pressure as TV viewership remains weak. Even so, the analyst noted that WBD’s share price is now driven less by business results and more by the takeover battle between Netflix and Paramount Skydance, which led him to lift his price target.
Now, according to TipRanks’ ownership page, ETFs own 30.89% of Warner Bros. Discovery. They are followed by public companies and individual investors, mutual funds, other institutional investors, and ETFs, at 29.40%, 19.99%, 18.99%, and 0.73%, respectively.
Digging Deeper into WBD’s Ownership Structure
Looking closely at top shareholders, Vanguard owns the highest stake in Warner Bros. Discovery at 9.91%. Next up is Vanguard Index Funds, which holds a 9.11% stake in the company.
Among the top ETF holders, the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) owns a 2.98% stake in WBD stock, followed by the Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLC) with a 2.72% stake.
Moving to mutual funds, Vanguard Index Funds holds about 9.11% of WBD. Meanwhile, Harris Associates Investment Trust owns 2.35% of the stock.
Is WBD Stock a Good Buy?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on WBD stock based on eight Buys and 12 Holds assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 158.45% rally in its share price over the past year, the average WBD price target of $22.65 per share implies 24.45% downside risk.
