Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from buy to hold, while Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d-) view. MarketBeat data shows a current consensus rating of Reduce with a target price of $8.20.
• The company reported Q1 earnings of -$0.11 per share, missing estimates by $0.15, while revenue of $1.08 billion was slightly below expectations. Liberty Global also posted a negative net margin and return on equity, underscoring continued profitability pressure.
• Shares opened at $7.82, below the 50-day moving average of $8.27 and near the 200-day average of $8.10. The stock has traded between $4.36 and $9.13 over the past year, with institutional ownership at 52.98%.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $8.20.

Liberty Global Price Performance

Liberty Global stock opened at $7.82 on Friday. Liberty Global has a 12 month low of $4.36 and a 12 month high of $9.13. The stock's 50 day moving average is $8.27 and its 200-day moving average is $8.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.78. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.15 and a beta of 0.72.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.04 by ($0.15). Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 11.20% and a negative return on equity of 43.70%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Liberty Global news, CAO Brian D. Zook sold 94,494 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.04, for a total transaction of $759,731.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,813 shares in the company, valued at $54,776.52. This represents a 93.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 9.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Liberty Global

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 23,186 shares of the company's stock worth $173,000 after purchasing an additional 1,494 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the company's stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 2,253 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 1.6% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 158,315 shares of the company's stock worth $985,000 after purchasing an additional 2,533 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 13,800 shares of the company's stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 2,552 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 33.1% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 12,666 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 3,150 shares during the last quarter. 52.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global plc is a leading international telecommunications and television company, offering video, broadband Internet, fixed-line and mobile services to residential and business customers. Headquartered in London and operating as an ADR on the NASDAQ under the ticker LILAK, the company focuses on developing advanced broadband networks and delivering entertainment and connectivity solutions across Europe.

The company's core products include high-speed cable broadband, digital and interactive television, fixed-line telephony, and mobile services.

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