S&CO Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Liberty Global PLC $LILAK

Key Points

• S&CO Inc. cut its stake in Liberty Global by 75.6% in the first quarter, selling 213,955 shares and leaving it with 68,906 shares valued at about $607,000.
• Insiders were active buyers: Director Brendan J. Paddick and CEO Balan Nair both purchased large amounts of stock in June, and insiders bought 14.8 million shares worth about $121.2 million over the last 90 days.
• Liberty Global reported a Q1 earnings miss with EPS of -$0.11 versus expectations for $0.04, while analysts currently hold a consensus “Reduce” rating with a $8.10 price target.

S&CO Inc. lowered its position in Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK - Free Report) by 75.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 68,906 shares of the company's stock after selling 213,955 shares during the period. S&CO Inc.'s holdings in Liberty Global were worth $607,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Liberty Global in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its position in Liberty Global by 85.9% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 8,515 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 3,934 shares in the last quarter. Xponance LLC acquired a new stake in Liberty Global during the 4th quarter valued at $75,000. Diversified Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Liberty Global in the fourth quarter valued at $78,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 33.1% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 12,666 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 3,150 shares during the period. 52.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Brendan J. Paddick purchased 100,000 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.88 per share, for a total transaction of $488,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,559,542 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,610,564.96. This trade represents a 6.85% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Balan Nair bought 164,914 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $6.07 per share, with a total value of $1,001,027.98. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 3,276,798 shares in the company, valued at $19,890,163.86. This trade represents a 5.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 14,820,228 shares of company stock valued at $121,249,631. 9.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Liberty Global Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LILAK opened at $7.33 on Friday. Liberty Global PLC has a 1 year low of $4.76 and a 1 year high of $9.13. The company has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.96 and a beta of 0.72. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $7.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.79.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.04 by ($0.15). Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 43.70% and a negative net margin of 11.20%.The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $8.00 price objective (up from $6.45) on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Liberty Global from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $8.10.

Liberty Global Profile

Liberty Global plc is a leading international telecommunications and television company, offering video, broadband Internet, fixed-line and mobile services to residential and business customers. Headquartered in London and operating as an ADR on the NASDAQ under the ticker LILAK, the company focuses on developing advanced broadband networks and delivering entertainment and connectivity solutions across Europe.

The company's core products include high-speed cable broadband, digital and interactive television, fixed-line telephony, and mobile services.

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