Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• Liberty Global shares crossed above their 200-day moving average
• Analyst sentiment is weak with a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target of $14.40, despite mixed notes (one Buy, four Hold, two Sell) and recent actions like Zacks' downgrade and UBS raising its $12.60 target.
• The company reported a severe quarterly earnings miss (EPS of -$8.60 vs. -$0.46 expected), with negative net margin and return on equity, and analysts forecast negative EPS for the current year, highlighting notable fundamental weakness.

Shares of Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $11.41 and traded as high as $12.68. Liberty Global shares last traded at $12.39, with a volume of 1,793,321 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LBTYA shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Liberty Global from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Liberty Global from $12.00 to $12.60 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $14.40.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a PE ratio of -0.60 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.41.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported ($8.60) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by ($8.14). The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.21 billion. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 58.32% and a negative net margin of 146.30%. Equities analysts predict that Liberty Global Ltd will post -1.35 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Global

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 79.0% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 48,037 shares of the company's stock worth $534,000 after buying an additional 21,194 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 88,616 shares of the company's stock worth $988,000 after buying an additional 20,722 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Liberty Global by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 655,775 shares of the company's stock worth $7,305,000 after purchasing an additional 70,711 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 122,594 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 19,767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Liberty Global during the fourth quarter worth $120,000. 37.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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