Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Given Average Rating of "Reduce" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts' consensus is "Reduce": Seven analysts cover Liberty Global with 2 sells, 4 holds and 1 buy, and the average 12‑month target is $14.40; recent notes include Weiss reissuing a sell, Zacks downgrading to "strong sell," and UBS moving to neutral with a $12.60 target.
• Major quarterly earnings miss and weak profitability: Liberty Global reported EPS of ($8.60) vs. ($0.46) expected, with negative ROE (-58.32%) and a net margin of -146.30%, while revenue was $1.23B; the stock trades around $12.77 with a 52‑week range of $9.02–$13.52 and a market cap of ~$4.28B.
• Despite the weak results, institutional investors have been adding shares—large increases from ACR Alpine, AQR, Rubric, Oaktree and Dimensional—leaving institutions owning about 37.2% of the stock.

Shares of Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.40.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LBTYA shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Liberty Global from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Liberty Global from $12.00 to $12.60 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st.

Liberty Global Stock Up 1.7%

Liberty Global stock opened at $12.77 on Tuesday. Liberty Global has a fifty-two week low of $9.02 and a fifty-two week high of $13.52. The stock has a market cap of $4.28 billion, a PE ratio of -0.61 and a beta of 1.01. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $12.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported ($8.60) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by ($8.14). Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 58.32% and a negative net margin of 146.30%.The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.21 billion. Research analysts predict that Liberty Global will post -1.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC grew its position in shares of Liberty Global by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 21,546,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $240,033,000 after acquiring an additional 309,230 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Liberty Global by 75.0% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,423,957 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,543,000 after acquiring an additional 5,751,520 shares during the period. Rubric Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Liberty Global by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 10,018,432 shares of the company's stock valued at $111,605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,268,065 shares during the period. Oaktree Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP now owns 8,551,191 shares of the company's stock valued at $97,997,000 after buying an additional 339,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,310,517 shares of the company's stock valued at $92,581,000 after buying an additional 200,348 shares in the last quarter. 37.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Liberty Global

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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