Oaktree Capital Management LP Grows Stock Position in Liberty Global Ltd $LBTYA

Key Points

• Oaktree Capital Management LP increased its Q3 stake in Liberty Global by 4.1% to 8,551,191 shares (about 2.54% of the company), valuing its position at roughly $98.0 million and making LBTYA its 12th-largest holding.
• Analyst coverage is mixed with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a $14.40 average target; UBS and Citigroup raised targets to $12.60 and $13.00 while Weiss Ratings maintained a "sell (d-)" call.
• Liberty Global reported a sharp quarterly EPS miss (−$8.60 vs. −$0.46 expected), posted a negative net margin (−146.3%), and trades near $12.44 with a market cap of about $4.17 billion.

Oaktree Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Free Report) by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,551,191 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 339,000 shares during the quarter. Liberty Global accounts for 0.8% of Oaktree Capital Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Oaktree Capital Management LP owned about 2.54% of Liberty Global worth $97,997,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC grew its position in shares of Liberty Global by 3.5% during the third quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 21,237,740 shares of the company's stock worth $243,384,000 after buying an additional 719,589 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Liberty Global by 3.7% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,110,169 shares of the company's stock valued at $92,945,000 after acquiring an additional 287,889 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Liberty Global in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,954,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 1.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,365,307 shares of the company's stock worth $38,566,000 after acquiring an additional 39,179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 11.6% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,163,691 shares of the company's stock worth $31,669,000 after acquiring an additional 329,409 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 37.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LBTYA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Liberty Global from $11.80 to $12.60 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Liberty Global from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.40.

Liberty Global Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Liberty Global stock traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $12.44. The company had a trading volume of 78,448 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,006,257. The company's 50-day moving average is $11.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.34. Liberty Global Ltd has a twelve month low of $9.02 and a twelve month high of $13.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $4.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -0.60 and a beta of 1.02.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported ($8.60) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.46) by ($8.14). The company had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.21 billion. Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 146.30% and a negative return on equity of 58.32%. Analysts anticipate that Liberty Global Ltd will post -1.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Liberty Global Profile

Liberty Global plc operates as a leading international telecommunications and television company, offering a wide array of broadband internet, digital cable television, fixed-line telephony and mobile services. Through its extensive fiber and hybrid-fiber coaxial networks, the company delivers high-speed internet connectivity, video on demand and interactive television platforms to residential and business customers. Its service portfolio includes digital voice, managed Wi-Fi solutions, home security and converged connectivity bundles designed to meet evolving consumer and enterprise demands.

The company's footprint spans key European markets, including the United Kingdom and Ireland under the Virgin Media brand, the Netherlands through Ziggo, Belgium via Telenet, and operations in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Poland and Luxembourg.

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