Vanguard Group Inc. Trims Stake in Liberty Global Ltd $LBTYA

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. has reduced its holdings in Liberty Global Ltd by 10.5%, selling 551,857 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total ownership to approximately 1.34% worth $53.96 million.
• Other institutional investors have increased their stakes in Liberty Global, with CWM LLC raising its stake by 81.5% during the same quarter.
• Liberty Global reported an earnings per share loss of ($8.09) in its latest quarterly earnings, missing the consensus estimate by $7.54, despite revenue exceeding expectations at $1.27 billion.

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Free Report) by 10.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,688,342 shares of the company's stock after selling 551,857 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 1.34% of Liberty Global worth $53,963,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC raised 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 stake in Liberty Global during the first quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Liberty Global during the first quarter valued at approximately $78,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 6,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 90.9% during the first quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 10,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $121,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. 37.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LBTYA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Liberty Global to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Liberty Global from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. UBS Group upped their price target 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. Barclays set a $11.00 price target on shares of Liberty Global and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $21.00 price target (up from $18.00) on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Monday, August 4th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Liberty Global presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.26.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Miranda Curtis sold 42,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.77, for a total transaction of $501,402.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 129,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,521,919.85. This represents a 24.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jason Waldron sold 34,380 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.55, for a total transaction of $397,089.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $96,823.65. This represents a 80.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 136,980 shares of company stock worth $1,577,091. 11.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Liberty Global Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LBTYA traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $11.74. 1,349,741 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,866,169. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The business's fifty day moving average is $10.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.56. 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 $4.00 billion, a PE ratio of -1.20 and a beta of 1.17.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported ($8.09) earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Liberty Global Ltd will post -1.35 earnings per share for the current year.

About Liberty Global

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.