Baupost Group LLC MA Sells 124,682 Shares of Liberty Global Ltd $LBTYA

Key Points

• Baupost Group LLC reduced its stake in Liberty Global Ltd by 2.4%, selling 124,682 shares and holding 5,076,762 shares, which now represents 1.7% of its portfolio.
• Liberty Global's recent earnings report showed a significant miss with EPS at ($8.09) compared to the expected ($0.55), and revenue of $1.27 billion surpassed estimates.
• Several hedge funds have recently increased their holdings in Liberty Global, with notable increases from Ameriprise Financial (10.5%) and SG Americas Securities (2,014.6%).

Baupost Group LLC MA lessened its position in shares of Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,076,762 shares of the company's stock after selling 124,682 shares during the quarter. Liberty Global comprises 1.7% of Baupost Group LLC MA's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Baupost Group LLC MA owned 1.47% of Liberty Global worth $58,434,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 81.5% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,285 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,026 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Liberty Global in the first quarter valued at about $50,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Liberty Global in the first quarter valued at approximately $78,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 2,370.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,745 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 6,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 90.9% during the 1st quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 10,500 shares of the company's stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. 37.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

LBTYA traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $11.69. 460,397 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,070,847. The stock has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.20 and a beta of 1.13. Liberty Global Ltd has a 12 month low of $9.02 and a 12 month high of $21.56. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported ($8.09) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.55) by ($7.54). The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 60.38% and a negative return on equity of 22.64%. Analysts anticipate that Liberty Global Ltd will post -1.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LBTYA. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $21.00 price objective (up from $18.00) on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Liberty Global from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Berenberg Bank raised Liberty Global to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Barclays set a $11.00 price target on Liberty Global and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Liberty Global from $10.60 to $11.80 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Liberty Global currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.26.

Insider Buying and Selling at Liberty Global

In other news, CFO Charles H. R. Bracken sold 60,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.31, for a total value of $678,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 33,220 shares in the company, valued at $375,718.20. This represents a 64.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Jason Waldron sold 34,380 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.55, for a total transaction of $397,089.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $96,823.65. This trade represents a 80.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 136,980 shares of company stock valued at $1,577,091 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 13.29% of the company's stock.

Liberty Global Profile

Liberty Global Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides broadband internet, video, fixed-line telephony, and mobile communications services to residential and business customers. It offers value-added broadband services, such as WiFi features, security, anti-virus, firewall, spam protection, smart home services, online storage solutions, and web spaces; and Connect Box that delivers in-home Wi-Fi service.