Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYK) Given Sell (D-) Rating at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Liberty Global's stock has been given a "sell (D-)" rating by Weiss Ratings, indicating negative outlook from equities researchers.
• The company reported a significant earnings miss with a loss of ($8.09) EPS, falling short of analysts' estimates by ($7.65), despite revenue of $1.27 billion exceeding expectations.
• Recent insider transactions show a notable decrease in share ownership by executives, with CAO and CFO selling over 94,000 shares combined, suggesting potential lack of confidence among leaders.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYK - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sell (d-)" rating restated by equities researchers at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

Shares of LBTYK opened at $11.39 on Wednesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $11.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $3.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.17 and a beta of 1.08. Liberty Global has a twelve month low of $9.21 and a twelve month high of $22.10.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The company reported ($8.09) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.44) by ($7.65). The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 22.64% and a negative net margin of 60.38%.

Insider Transactions at Liberty Global

In other news, CAO Jason Waldron sold 34,380 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.55, for a total value of $397,089.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at $96,823.65. The trade was a 80.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Charles H. R. Bracken sold 60,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.31, for a total transaction of $678,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 33,220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $375,718.20. This represents a 64.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 136,980 shares of company stock valued at $1,577,091 over the last 90 days. 9.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Global

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 6.4% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 597,190 shares of the company's stock worth $7,148,000 after buying an additional 35,778 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in Liberty Global during the first quarter worth $487,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 61.4% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,130,613 shares of the company's stock worth $13,533,000 after buying an additional 430,251 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 1.4% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,392,767 shares of the company's stock worth $40,611,000 after buying an additional 47,748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 1.4% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,533,210 shares of the company's stock worth $42,293,000 after buying an additional 48,716 shares during the last quarter. 46.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Liberty Global Company Profile

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.

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