Citigroup Reiterates "Neutral" Rating for Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK)

Key Points

• Citigroup reiterated its Neutral rating on Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) and raised its price target to $8.00 from $6.45, implying about 10% upside from the prior close.
• Liberty Global shares were down 2.2% to $7.27, and the stock has recently seen mixed analyst sentiment, with an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target of $8.10.
• The company recently reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results, posting an EPS loss of $0.11 versus expectations for a profit and slightly missing revenue estimates, while insiders have also been active buyers of the stock.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating reissued by stock analysts at Citigroup in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $8.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $6.45. Citigroup's target price would indicate a potential upside of 10.04% from the company's previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Liberty Global from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $8.10.

Liberty Global Trading Down 2.2%

NASDAQ:LILAK opened at $7.27 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.93 and a beta of 0.72. Liberty Global has a 12 month low of $4.76 and a 12 month high of $9.13.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.04 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 11.20% and a negative return on equity of 43.70%.

Insider Activity at Liberty Global

In other news, SVP John M. Winter bought 5,071 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $19.67 per share, with a total value of $99,746.57. Following the completion of the purchase, the senior vice president directly owned 64,547 shares in the company, valued at $1,269,639.49. The trade was a 8.53% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John C. Malone acquired 12,406,463 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $8.63 per share, for a total transaction of $107,067,775.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,173,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $182,723,145.34. The trade was a 141.52% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased a total of 14,820,228 shares of company stock valued at $121,249,631 over the last ninety days. 9.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Global

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 67.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 198,628 shares of the company's stock worth $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 79,917 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 77,003 shares of the company's stock worth $478,000 after acquiring an additional 3,234 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Liberty Global by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 367,176 shares of the company's stock worth $2,280,000 after buying an additional 35,844 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in Liberty Global by 316.4% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 153,799 shares of the company's stock valued at $955,000 after purchasing an additional 116,861 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Liberty Global by 1.6% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 158,315 shares of the company's stock valued at $985,000 after acquiring an additional 2,533 shares in the last quarter. 52.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Liberty Global Company Profile

Liberty Global plc is a leading international telecommunications and television company, offering video, broadband Internet, fixed-line and mobile services to residential and business customers. Headquartered in London and operating as an ADR on the NASDAQ under the ticker LILAK, the company focuses on developing advanced broadband networks and delivering entertainment and connectivity solutions across Europe.

The company's core products include high-speed cable broadband, digital and interactive television, fixed-line telephony, and mobile services.

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