Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) Sets New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) hit a new 52-week high of $34.48, reflecting strong recent momentum in the stock despite trading slightly below that level afterward.
• Recent analyst activity has been mixed but generally constructive: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $38 and gave an overweight rating, while the consensus view remains a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $30.42.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.06 versus expectations for a loss and revenue of $1.02 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.09 per share.

Liberty Energy Inc. (NYSE:LBRT - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $34.48 and last traded at $33.1520, with a volume of 158817 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.48.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LBRT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Liberty Energy from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Liberty Energy in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Liberty Energy from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $32.00 price objective on shares of Liberty Energy in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $36.00 price objective on shares of Liberty Energy in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Liberty Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $30.42.

Liberty Energy Trading Down 0.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.56 and a beta of 0.56. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $29.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.73.

Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $954.71 million. Liberty Energy had a return on equity of 1.41% and a net margin of 3.71%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.04 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Liberty Energy Inc. will post -0.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Liberty Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be paid a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Liberty Energy's payout ratio is currently 39.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Liberty Energy news, Chairman William F. Kimble sold 7,350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.92, for a total transaction of $249,312.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 89,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,046,185.60. This trade represents a 7.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 9,696 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $25.79 per share, for a total transaction of $250,059.84. Following the acquisition, the director owned 27,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at $710,978.72. This represents a 54.25% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Liberty Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Liberty Energy by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,855 shares of the company's stock valued at $226,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Liberty Energy by 79.6% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 914 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its stake in shares of Liberty Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 23,760 shares of the company's stock worth $439,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Liberty Energy by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,583 shares of the company's stock worth $417,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Corp grew its stake in shares of Liberty Energy by 58.2% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,620 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.22% of the company's stock.

Liberty Energy Company Profile

Liberty Energy Inc provides hydraulic services and related technologies to onshore oil and natural gas exploration, and production companies in North America. The company offers hydraulic fracturing services, including complementary services, such as wireline services, proppant delivery solutions, field gas processing and treating, compressed natural gas (CNG) delivery, data analytics, related goods comprising sand mine operations, and technologies; and well site fueling and logistics. As of as of December 31, 2023, the company owned and operated a fleet of approximately 40 active hydraulic fracturing; and two sand mines in the Permian Basin.

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