Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Raised to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Liberty Global from “sell” to “hold.” MarketBeat’s analyst consensus is also “hold,” with an average price target of $12.78.
• Liberty Global reported quarterly EPS of $1.32, beating the consensus estimate of a $0.32 loss, and revenue of $1.92 billion versus expectations of $1.71 billion.
• CEO Michael Fries and EVP Enrique Rodriguez both bought shares on Nov. 4, increasing their holdings by 9.75% and 54.04%, respectively.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on LBTYA. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. New Street Research upgraded shares of Liberty Global from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Liberty Global from $12.10 to $11.90 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Liberty Global from $10.00 to $7.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.78.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

NASDAQ LBTYA opened at $9.90 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $9.23 and its 200-day moving average is $10.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Liberty Global has a one year low of $7.36 and a one year high of $13.52.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.32) by $1.64. Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 62.12% and a negative return on equity of 28.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.71 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Liberty Global will post -1.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Liberty Global news, CEO Michael T. Fries acquired 110,000 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $9.37 per share, with a total value of $1,030,700.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,238,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,604,979.25. This trade represents a 9.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Enrique Rodriguez acquired 211,313 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $9.45 per share, for a total transaction of $1,996,907.85. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 602,378 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,692,472.10. This represents a 54.04% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 4.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LBTYA. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 42.1% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,590 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,360 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 54.2% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 6,080 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 2,137 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in Liberty Global in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $76,000. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Liberty Global during the third quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global during the third quarter worth approximately $127,000. 37.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global plc is an international telecommunications and media company that invests in and operates broadband, mobile, fixed-line, video and related digital services. Its offerings generally include high-speed internet, television, telephony, mobile connectivity and business communications services for residential and enterprise customers.

The company has operations and strategic investments across Europe. Its portfolio includes Sunrise in Switzerland and Telenet in Belgium, as well as 50% interests in Virgin Media O2 in the United Kingdom, a joint venture with Telefónica, and VodafoneZiggo in the Netherlands, a joint venture with Vodafone.

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