Candriam S.C.A. Sells 316,644 Shares of Liberty Global Ltd $LBTYA

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. sold 316,644 shares of Liberty Global, reducing its stake by 39.2% to a total of 491,007 shares, which are valued at approximately $5.65 million.
• Several institutional investors increased their stakes in Liberty Global recently, with Hi Line Capital Management growing its holdings by 21.1% to over 1 million shares valued at about $11.53 million.
• Analysts have given Liberty Global mixed ratings, with a consensus target price of $14.26 and ratings ranging from "buy" to "sell," indicating uncertainty about the company's performance.

Candriam S.C.A. cut its stake in shares of Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Free Report) by 39.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 491,007 shares of the company's stock after selling 316,644 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.14% of Liberty Global worth $5,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Liberty Global by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 391,384 shares of the company's stock worth $4,994,000 after acquiring an additional 37,072 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 29.6% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 609,426 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,014,000 after buying an additional 139,294 shares during the last quarter. Hi Line Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 21.1% during the first quarter. Hi Line Capital Management LLC now owns 1,001,541 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,528,000 after buying an additional 174,234 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,030,866 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,154,000 after buying an additional 191,179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 2,014.6% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 565,516 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,509,000 after buying an additional 538,772 shares during the last quarter. 37.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Liberty Global Stock Performance

NASDAQ LBTYA opened at $11.45 on Friday. Liberty Global Ltd has a 52-week low of $9.02 and a 52-week high of $21.56. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a PE ratio of -1.17 and a beta of 1.13.

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

Insider Transactions at Liberty Global

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

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LBTYA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.