Starz Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ:STRZ) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on Starz Entertainment, with four holds, two buys, one strong buy and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $31.50, versus a recent share price of $26.89.
• Insiders showed confidence by purchasing shares: CEO Jeffrey Hirsch bought 10,000 shares and insider James M. Kapenstein bought 1,000 shares. Insiders collectively own 22.62% of the company.
• Starz reported a significant quarterly loss, posting adjusted EPS of negative $11.27 versus analyst expectations of negative $0.59, despite generating $307.9 million in revenue.

Starz Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ:STRZ - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eight research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $31.50.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on STRZ. Morgan Stanley set a $30.00 price objective on Starz Entertainment in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Starz Entertainment in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Starz Entertainment from $13.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Starz Entertainment and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, B. Riley Financial assumed coverage on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $45.00 price objective on the stock.

Insider Transactions at Starz Entertainment

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starz Entertainment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of STRZ. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Starz Entertainment in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Starz Entertainment by 101.8% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,525 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Starz Entertainment during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Starz Entertainment during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Starz Entertainment by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 298,793 shares of the company's stock worth $3,497,000 after purchasing an additional 2,888 shares during the last quarter.

Starz Entertainment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ STRZ opened at $26.89 on Monday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $27.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $460.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.05 and a beta of 2.44. Starz Entertainment has a 12-month low of $8.40 and a 12-month high of $32.58.

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

About Starz Entertainment

Starz Entertainment NASDAQ: STRZ is a global media and entertainment company that operates premium subscription video services across linear television and digital streaming platforms. The company's core offering includes the STARZ and STARZ ENCORE linear networks in the United States, alongside its STARZPLAY streaming service, which is available in North America, parts of Europe, Latin America and select Asian markets. Through its multi-platform distribution strategy, Starz delivers a combination of original programming, feature films and licensed series to a broad subscriber base.

At the heart of Starz Entertainment's business is its investment in original content production.

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