Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 40,478 Shares of Liberty Global Ltd $LBTYA

Key Points

• Hsbc Holdings PLC has reduced its position in Liberty Global Ltd by 31.5%, owning 88,180 shares after selling 40,478 shares in the first quarter.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Liberty Global, with the stock having a consensus rating of "Hold" and a target price of $14.26.
• Liberty Global reported a loss of ($8.09) EPS for the last quarter, significantly missing expectations, despite revenue exceeding projections.

Hsbc Holdings PLC lessened its stake in Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Free Report) by 31.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,180 shares of the company's stock after selling 40,478 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in Liberty Global were worth $1,011,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 1.5% in the first quarter. First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. now owns 2,298,762 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,459,000 after buying an additional 34,367 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Liberty Global in the first quarter valued at approximately $737,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 66.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,227,160 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,125,000 after buying an additional 490,284 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 54.4% in the first quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 56,317 shares of the company's stock valued at $647,000 after buying an additional 19,837 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Liberty Global in the first quarter valued at approximately $10,809,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 37.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Charles H. R. Bracken sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.31, for a total value of $678,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 33,220 shares of the company's stock, valued at $375,718.20. This represents a 64.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jason Waldron sold 34,380 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,383 shares in the company, valued at $96,823.65. The trade was a 80.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 136,980 shares of company stock valued at $1,577,091 over the last ninety days. 11.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Liberty Global to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Liberty Global from $10.60 to $11.80 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $21.00 target price (up previously from $18.00) on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Monday, August 4th. Citigroup reduced their target price 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. Finally, Barclays set a $11.00 target price on shares of Liberty Global and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.26.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

LBTYA stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $11.74. The stock had a trading volume of 699,062 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,073,826. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.00 billion, a PE ratio of -1.20 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.57. Liberty Global Ltd has a fifty-two week low of $9.02 and a fifty-two week high of $21.56. 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 quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The company reported ($8.09) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.55) by ($7.54). The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 60.38% and a negative return on equity of 22.64%. Analysts predict that Liberty Global Ltd will post -1.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.