Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) Cut to Strong Sell at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Liberty Energy to “strong sell” from “sell,” though broader analyst sentiment remains more positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $26.71.
• Liberty Energy reported quarterly revenue of approximately $1.20 billion, up 26.3% year over year, while adjusted EPS of $0.06 met the stated consensus estimate; profitability remained thin, with a 0.91% net margin.
• The stock opened at $15.59, near its one-year low of $14.76 and well below its 200-day moving average of $24.22. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the shares, while recent insider activity included director purchases and additional insider selling.

Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on LBRT. Zacks Research cut Liberty Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Piper Sandler set a $27.00 target price on shares of Liberty Energy in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Liberty Energy from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Liberty Energy from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Liberty Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $23.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Liberty Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $26.71.

Liberty Energy Stock Up 1.4%

Liberty Energy stock opened at $15.59 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $19.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.22. Liberty Energy has a 1-year low of $14.76 and a 1-year high of $34.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.15, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.75.

Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.06. Liberty Energy had a return on equity of 2.13% and a net margin of 0.91%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.06) EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 26.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Liberty Energy will post 0.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Liberty Energy

In other news, Director Arjun Murti acquired 14,053 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $17.79 per share, with a total value of $250,002.87. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 41,621 shares in the company, valued at $740,437.59. This represents a 50.98% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Stock sold 6,666 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.84, for a total transaction of $132,253.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 760,379 shares in the company, valued at $15,085,919.36. This represents a 0.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 16,665 shares of company stock valued at $319,301 in the last three months. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Liberty Energy

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Liberty Energy by 79.6% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 914 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Liberty Energy in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. bought a new position in shares of Liberty Energy in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in Liberty Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Liberty Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. 98.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Liberty Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Liberty Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler initiated or reiterated a Buy rating on Liberty Energy, providing a bullish analyst signal following the company’s recent results. Liberty Energy Gets a Buy from Piper Sandler
• Positive Sentiment: Liberty Energy highlighted a potential 1.2-gigawatt AI power development agreement, with the first approximately 500-megawatt energy service agreement targeted by December 2026. Phased energization could extend through the first quarter of 2029, offering longer-term diversification beyond oilfield services. Liberty Energy AI Power Agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 26.3% year over year to approximately $1.2 billion, supported by fleet utilization and improved pricing. Adjusted EBITDA was $142 million, and the company returned $15 million to shareholders through dividends. Liberty Energy Third-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Trading activity was unusually bullish, with purchases of 4,761 call options—about 138% above typical daily volume—suggesting increased speculative interest in a rebound.
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen maintained a Hold rating while lowering its price target from $24 to $22. Although the target implies substantial potential upside, the reduction signals more cautious expectations. TD Cowen Liberty Energy Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted EPS of $0.06 missed one analyst consensus estimate of $0.08, while higher costs constrained earnings. The company also reported a $39 million GAAP net loss, or $0.24 per diluted share, underscoring the limited profit cushion. Liberty Energy Q3 Earnings Miss

Liberty Energy Company Profile

Liberty Energy Inc is an oilfield services company that provides completion and production services to exploration and production companies. Its primary business is hydraulic fracturing, a well-stimulation technique used to improve the flow of oil and natural gas from unconventional reservoirs.

The company also offers wireline services, well diagnostics, frac data analysis, engineering support, and related technologies designed to help customers plan, execute, and evaluate well-completion operations.

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