Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $7.54 EPS

Key Points

• Liberty Global reported a quarterly earnings per share of ($8.09), missing analysts' expectations by a significant $7.54.
• The company reported revenue of $1.27 billion, exceeding expectations of $1.20 billion, despite a negative net margin of 4.25%.
• Various research firms have adjusted their price targets for Liberty Global, with Barclays setting a target of $11.00 and Citigroup dropping theirs to $11.00, indicating mixed sentiments among analysts.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The company reported ($8.09) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.55) by ($7.54), Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 60.38% and a negative return on equity of 22.64%.

Liberty Global Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Liberty Global stock traded down $0.10 during trading on Thursday, hitting $10.94. The stock had a trading volume of 698,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,100,380. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.58. The company has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a PE ratio of -1.12 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Liberty Global has a 1 year low of $9.02 and a 1 year high of $21.56.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Global

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Liberty Global by 197.8% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,520,781 shares of the company's stock worth $17,504,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010,118 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Liberty Global by 27.8% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 451,847 shares of the company's stock worth $5,201,000 after purchasing an additional 98,182 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 801.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 120,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 106,870 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Liberty Global during the 1st quarter worth approximately $64,000. 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 research reports. Berenberg Bank raised Liberty Global to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $21.00 target price (up from $18.00) on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Monday. Citigroup reduced their price target on Liberty Global from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Barclays set a $11.00 target price on shares of Liberty Global and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Liberty Global from $10.60 to $11.80 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $14.26.

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.