Banco Santander S.A. Trims Position in Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK)

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. reduced its stake in Liberty Global PLC by 16.6%, now holding approximately $5.73 million worth of shares as of its latest SEC filing.
• Several institutional investors, including KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS and Norges Bank, have recently acquired new stakes in Liberty Global, contributing to a total institutional ownership of 52.98% of the company's shares.
• Liberty Global's recent earnings report showed a loss per share of ($0.69), significantly missing the consensus estimate, with a reported revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter.

Banco Santander S.A. lowered its position in shares of Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK - Free Report) by 16.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 922,902 shares of the company's stock after selling 184,100 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A. owned about 0.47% of Liberty Global worth $5,731,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LILAK. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Liberty Global by 556.5% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 5,331 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 4,519 shares during the period. Bridgefront Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Liberty Global in the fourth quarter worth $65,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Liberty Global by 577.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,811 shares of the company's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 10,067 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Liberty Global in the fourth quarter worth $80,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of Liberty Global in the first quarter worth $121,000. Institutional investors own 52.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut Liberty Global from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Christopher J. Noyes purchased 8,000 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.53 per share, for a total transaction of $36,240.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 231,621 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,049,243.13. This trade represents a 3.58% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Balan Nair purchased 22,779 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $4.39 per share, for a total transaction of $99,999.81. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 1,651,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,247,894.39. The trade was a 1.40% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 9.66% of the company's stock.

Liberty Global Price Performance

Liberty Global stock traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $7.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 232,180 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,103,862. Liberty Global PLC has a 52 week low of $4.23 and a 52 week high of $10.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $6.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.09. The stock has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a PE ratio of -1.79 and a beta of 0.95.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.69) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.14) by ($0.55). Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 17.85% and a negative return on equity of 44.60%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Latin America Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides fixed, mobile, and subsea telecommunications services. The company operates through C&W Caribbean, C&W Panama, Liberty Networks, Liberty Puerto Rico, and Liberty Costa Rico segments. It offers communications and entertainment services, including video, broadband internet, fixed-line, telephony, and mobiles services to residential and business customers; and business products and services that include enterprise-grade connectivity, data center, hosting, and managed solutions, as well as information technology solutions for small and medium enterprises, international companies, and governmental agencies.