Citizens Jmp Begins Coverage on Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ)

Key Points

• Citizens JMP initiated coverage of Starz Entertainment with an “outperform” rating and a $40 price target, implying 54.62% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst views remain mixed but lean positive: Starz has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.71, with targets ranging from $25 to $45.
• The company reported a significant quarterly loss of $11.27 per share, far below the $0.59 loss expected, while insiders—including CEO Jeffrey Hirsch—recently purchased shares and institutional investors established or expanded positions.

Investment analysts at Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on shares of Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The firm set an "outperform" rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Citizens Jmp's target price would suggest a potential upside of 54.62% from the company's previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on STRZ. B. Riley Financial started coverage on shares of Starz Entertainment in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $45.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Starz Entertainment in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Starz Entertainment from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Starz Entertainment from $13.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.71.

Starz Entertainment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRZ opened at $25.87 on Monday. Starz Entertainment has a 12 month low of $8.40 and a 12 month high of $32.58. The company has a market cap of $442.89 million, a P/E ratio of -1.01 and a beta of 2.44. The business's 50 day moving average is $26.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05.

Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported ($11.27) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by ($10.68). The business had revenue of $307.90 million during the quarter. Starz Entertainment had a negative net margin of 33.98% and a negative return on equity of 25.64%. On average, equities analysts expect that Starz Entertainment will post -6.12 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starz Entertainment

In other Starz Entertainment news, CEO Jeffrey Hirsch acquired 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $24.80 per share, for a total transaction of $248,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 65,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,612,000. This represents a 18.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider James Kapenstein acquired 1,000 shares of Starz Entertainment stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.73 per share, with a total value of $25,730.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 12,302 shares in the company, valued at $316,530.46. This trade represents a 8.85% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 22.62% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starz Entertainment

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STRZ. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Starz Entertainment by 651.6% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 4,675 shares of the company's stock worth $135,000 after buying an additional 4,053 shares in the last quarter. Ratan Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Starz Entertainment in the second quarter valued at $368,000. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Starz Entertainment during the second quarter worth $4,056,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Starz Entertainment during the second quarter worth $8,027,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Starz Entertainment during the second quarter valued at $1,774,000.

About Starz Entertainment

Starz Entertainment is a premium subscription entertainment company that provides original series, feature films and other programming through television networks and direct-to-consumer streaming services. Its offerings are marketed under the STARZ and STARZ Encore brands and are distributed through pay-TV providers, digital platforms and the Starz streaming app.

The company is known for original programming, including series associated with the “Power” universe, as well as acquired and licensed movies and television content.

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