Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYK) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Liberty Global shares fell 4.8% to around $9.54 even as trading volume was unusually strong, with about 1.0 million shares changing hands.
• The company reported a much worse-than-expected quarterly loss, posting EPS of ($1.07) versus the consensus estimate of ($0.48).
• Sentiment remains cautious: the stock has an average analyst rating of “Sell”, and a company director recently sold 55,000 shares.

Shares of Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYK - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . 1,001,979 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the previous session's volume of 1,227,196 shares.The stock last traded at $9.5430 and had previously closed at $9.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on LBTYK shares. Wall Street Zen raised Liberty Global from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Liberty Global from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Sell".

Liberty Global Trading Down 4.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company's 50 day moving average is $11.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.37. The firm has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -0.60 and a beta of 0.89.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The company reported ($1.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.48) by ($0.59). Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 109.64% and a negative return on equity of 47.65%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director J David Wargo sold 55,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.54, for a total value of $634,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $621,729.04. This represents a 50.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.86% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Liberty Global

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LBTYK. Rubric Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 51.3% during the 1st quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 9,259,361 shares of the company's stock worth $108,612,000 after acquiring an additional 3,137,779 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 3.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,916,167 shares of the company's stock worth $92,857,000 after purchasing an additional 238,052 shares during the period. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 7.3% during the first quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 6,884,624 shares of the company's stock worth $80,757,000 after purchasing an additional 467,869 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,164,014 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,931,000 after purchasing an additional 118,832 shares during the period. Finally, Contour Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 40.4% in the 4th quarter. Contour Asset Management LLC now owns 2,608,955 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,803,000 after purchasing an additional 750,649 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 46.10% of the company's stock.

Liberty Global Company Profile

Liberty Global NASDAQ: LBTYK is a leading international telecommunications and television company, headquartered in London. Established in 2005 through the merger of UGC Europe and Liberty Media International, the company has grown into one of the largest broadband and video service providers outside North America. Liberty Global focuses on delivering high-speed internet, digital video, mobile telephony and fixed-line communications to residential and business customers.

The company's core services include ultra‐fast broadband, pay television, voice services and mobile offerings.

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