Trexquant Investment LP Raises Holdings in Liberty Global Ltd $LBTYA

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP increased its holdings in Liberty Global Ltd by 62% during the first quarter, now owning 597,861 shares valued at $6.88 million.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on Liberty Global, with a range of price targets; UBS recently raised its target to $11.80, while Benchmark set a higher target at $21.00 with a "buy" rating.
• Liberty Global reported a significant earnings miss with ($8.09) per share, compared to estimates of ($0.55), despite revenue exceeding analyst expectations at $1.27 billion.

Trexquant Investment LP grew its stake in Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Free Report) by 62.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 597,861 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 228,777 shares during the quarter. Trexquant Investment LP owned approximately 0.17% of Liberty Global worth $6,881,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Liberty Global by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 391,384 shares of the company's stock worth $4,994,000 after purchasing an additional 37,072 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 29.6% in the 1st 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 period. Hi Line Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 21.1% in the 1st 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 period. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in Liberty Global in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,586,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 22.8% in the 4th 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 period. 37.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Liberty Global Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Liberty Global stock traded up $0.09 on Thursday, hitting $11.91. The stock had a trading volume of 834,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,071,076. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Liberty Global Ltd has a one year low of $9.02 and a one year high of $21.56. The stock has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.22 and a beta of 1.17. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $10.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.58.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 22.64% and a negative net margin of 60.38%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Liberty Global Ltd will post -1.35 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Liberty Global

In other Liberty Global news, Director Miranda Curtis sold 42,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.77, for a total value of $501,402.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 129,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,521,919.85. This represents a 24.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jason Waldron sold 34,380 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.55, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 80.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 136,980 shares of company stock worth $1,577,091. 11.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on LBTYA shares. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Liberty Global from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $21.00 price target (up from $18.00) on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Monday, August 4th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Liberty Global to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Liberty Global from $10.60 to $11.80 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two research 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.26.

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.