Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.15 EPS

Key Points

• Liberty Global reported a quarterly loss of $0.13 per share, missing analyst expectations of $0.02 EPS by $0.15. The company also reported a negative 43.70% return on equity and a negative 11.20% net margin.
• Shares traded near $8.26, while analysts maintained a generally cautious outlook: the stock carries an average “Reduce” rating and an average price target of $8.10.
• Insiders made substantial purchases, acquiring 14.8 million shares worth approximately $121.2 million over the past 90 days; CEO Balan Nair and director John C. Malone were notable buyers.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.02 by ($0.15), Zacks reports. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 43.70% and a negative net margin of 11.20%.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

LILAK stock traded down $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $8.26. The company had a trading volume of 1,091,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,114,916. The company has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.33 and a beta of 0.71. Liberty Global has a twelve month low of $4.76 and a twelve month high of $9.13. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $7.84.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $8.00 target price (up from $6.45) on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Liberty Global from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $8.10.

Insider Activity at Liberty Global

In related news, CEO Balan Nair acquired 164,914 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $6.07 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,027.98. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 3,276,798 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,890,163.86. This represents a 5.30% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John C. Malone acquired 12,406,463 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.63 per share, for a total transaction of $107,067,775.69. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 21,173,018 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $182,723,145.34. The trade was a 141.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 14,820,228 shares of company stock worth $121,249,631. 9.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Liberty Global

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LILAK. Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global in the third quarter worth about $86,569,000. Sculptor Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Liberty Global during the second quarter worth about $3,627,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Liberty Global by 253.1% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 678,043 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,058,000 after buying an additional 486,022 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Liberty Global by 71.2% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,144,678 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,539,000 after buying an additional 475,880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 9,557,181 shares of the company's stock worth $71,297,000 after buying an additional 351,410 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.98% of the company's stock.

Liberty Global Company Profile

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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