ING Groep NV Acquires 114,100 Shares of Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA)

Key Points

• ING Groep NV increased its stake in Liberty Global Ltd by 175.5% during the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to approximately $2.06 million.
• Analysts have varying ratings for Liberty Global, with a consensus price target of $14.09 and one sell rating, while six analysts rate it as hold or buy.
• Liberty Global reported a significant earnings miss with a loss of $8.09 per share, against a consensus estimate of ($0.55), highlighting ongoing financial challenges.

ING Groep NV boosted its stake in Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Free Report) by 175.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 179,100 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 114,100 shares during the period. ING Groep NV owned 0.05% of Liberty Global worth $2,061,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 81.5% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,285 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,026 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global during the first quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global during the first quarter valued at approximately $78,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 2,370.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,745 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 6,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hunting Hill Global Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $128,000. 37.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LBTYA traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $11.03. The company had a trading volume of 2,044,891 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,168,392. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Liberty Global Ltd has a 52 week low of $9.02 and a 52 week high of $21.56. The firm has a market cap of $3.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.13 and a beta of 1.13. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $10.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.56.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) last posted 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). 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Liberty Global Ltd will post -1.35 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays set a $11.00 target price on shares of Liberty Global and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Liberty Global from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $21.00 price objective (up from $18.00) on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Berenberg Bank raised Liberty Global to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Liberty Global from $10.60 to $11.80 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.26.

Liberty Global Company 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.