Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.59 EPS

Key Points

• Liberty Global reported quarterly EPS of ($1.07), missing analysts’ estimate of ($0.48) by $0.59.
• The stock fell to $9.60 on the news, near its 52-week low of $9.63, while the company showed weak profitability with a negative net margin and negative return on equity.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with the stock carrying an average Hold rating and a consensus price target of $16.02.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The company reported ($1.07) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.48) by ($0.59), FiscalAI reports. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 47.65% and a negative net margin of 109.64%.

Liberty Global Price Performance

NASDAQ LBTYA traded down $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $9.60. The company had a trading volume of 2,551,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,334,615. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.60 and a beta of 0.93. Liberty Global has a 52 week low of $9.63 and a 52 week high of $13.52. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.66.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director J David Wargo sold 55,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.54, for a total value of $634,700.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,876 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $621,729.04. This represents a 50.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.34% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Liberty Global

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LBTYA. Quarry LP bought a new position in Liberty Global in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Liberty Global by 79.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,795 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 1,238 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Liberty Global in the second quarter worth $47,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Liberty Global during the first quarter valued at $64,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Liberty Global during the fourth quarter valued at $85,000. Institutional investors own 37.20% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Liberty Global from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Liberty Global from $12.60 to $12.10 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Pivotal Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Liberty Global from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $16.02.

Liberty Global Company Profile

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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