Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Technical move: Liberty Global's shares crossed above their 200‑day moving average (200‑DMA $11.35), trading as high as $12.40 and last at $12.17 on roughly 1.46 million shares.
• Weak fundamentals: The company reported a large quarterly EPS miss (loss of $8.60 vs. $0.46 expected), with a negative net margin (-146.3%) and ROE (-58.32%), and analysts expect continued negative EPS for the year.
• Analyst sentiment mixed but cautious: Outlook is broadly negative with a MarketBeat consensus of "Reduce" and an average price target of $14.40, despite some target increases from Citi and UBS and a notable downgrade from Zacks to "strong sell."

Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $11.35 and traded as high as $12.40. Liberty Global shares last traded at $12.17, with a volume of 1,457,185 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LBTYA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research lowered Liberty Global from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Citigroup raised their target price on Liberty Global from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Liberty Global from $11.80 to $12.60 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Liberty Global has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $14.40.

Liberty Global Stock Up 0.7%

The company has a market capitalization of $4.08 billion, a PE ratio of -0.59 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The business has a fifty day moving average of $11.69 and a 200 day moving average of $11.35.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported ($8.60) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.21 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Liberty Global Ltd will post -1.35 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Global

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LBTYA. Copley Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Liberty Global by 7.8% during the third quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,801 shares of the company's stock worth $147,000 after acquiring an additional 931 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management boosted its holdings in Liberty Global by 27.5% in the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,559 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 983 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its holdings in Liberty Global by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 12,743 shares of the company's stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Liberty Global by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 30,107 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 79.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,795 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 37.20% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.