Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate Ziff Davis “Hold” overall: Six of nine analysts recommend holding the stock, while three rate it a buy. The average 12-month price target is $59.75, modestly above the $56.33 opening price.
• Recent earnings beat expectations but revenue declined: Ziff Davis reported quarterly EPS of $1.03 versus the $0.81 consensus estimate, while revenue of $286.74 million was down 18.7% year over year.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, while insiders have sold shares: Hedge funds and other institutions own 99.76% of the stock, whereas insiders sold 7,732 shares worth approximately $425,436 over the past 90 days.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the nine ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.75.

ZD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Ziff Davis to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ziff Davis from $30.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Ziff Davis from $48.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Ziff Davis from $48.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Ziff Davis from $60.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Monday, August 10th.

Ziff Davis Trading Up 1.2%

ZD stock opened at $56.33 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Ziff Davis has a 12-month low of $22.45 and a 12-month high of $60.48. The stock has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.09. The business's 50-day moving average is $55.27 and its 200 day moving average is $49.23.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The technology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.22. Ziff Davis had a return on equity of 10.73% and a net margin of 48.57%.The business had revenue of $286.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $286.10 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ziff Davis will post 4.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ziff Davis news, CAO Lori Tansley sold 1,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.76, for a total transaction of $76,664.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 767 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,000.92. The trade was a 64.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director W. Brian Kretzmer sold 2,513 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.31, for a total value of $138,994.03. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,106,200. The trade was a 11.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,732 shares of company stock valued at $425,436. Insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ziff Davis

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ziff Davis by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,358 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ziff Davis during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $228,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ziff Davis during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Varde Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Ziff Davis by 16.9% in the second quarter. Varde Management L.P. now owns 624,028 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $32,680,000 after acquiring an additional 90,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nykredit A S purchased a new position in Ziff Davis in the second quarter worth approximately $68,000. 99.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ziff Davis Company Profile

Ziff Davis, Inc is a digital media and technology company that operates a portfolio of internet-based brands serving consumers and businesses. Its properties provide technology news and reviews, gaming and entertainment content, health and wellness information, shopping resources, and specialized business media.

The company's brands include PCMag, IGN, Mashable, Lifehacker, RetailMeNot, Humble Bundle, Spiceworks, Ookla and Speedtest, among others. Ziff Davis also offers cybersecurity, marketing technology and consumer subscription services, including products and platforms designed to support privacy, online security, connectivity testing and digital engagement.

Ziff Davis traces its roots to the publishing company founded by William B.

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