Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Shares Up 8% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Liberty Global shares rose 8% to about $8.30 during Tuesday trading, with the move occurring on lower-than-average volume.
• Analysts remain cautious: the stock carries a consensus “Reduce” rating and an average price target of $8.10, despite Citigroup raising its target to $8.00.
• The company recently missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting a loss of $0.11 per share versus the expected $0.04 profit, while insiders have made substantial stock purchases over the past 90 days.

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 8% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $8.24 and last traded at $8.2950. Approximately 348,774 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 1,101,165 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.68.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LILAK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Liberty Global from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $8.00 price objective (up from $6.45) on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Friday, July 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Liberty Global presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $8.10.

Liberty Global Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of -3.28 and a beta of 0.72. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $7.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.80.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John C. Malone bought 17,693 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $7.00 per share, for a total transaction of $123,851.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 3,725,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,080,691. This trade represents a 0.48% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP John M. Winter purchased 5,071 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $19.67 per share, for a total transaction of $99,746.57. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 64,547 shares in the company, valued at $1,269,639.49. This represents a 8.53% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 14,820,228 shares of company stock valued at $121,249,631. 9.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 6.9% during the 4th 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 holdings in Liberty Global by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the company's stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 2,253 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Liberty Global by 377.3% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,136 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 2,479 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 158,315 shares of the company's stock worth $985,000 after acquiring an additional 2,533 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 22.7% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 13,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 2,552 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.98% of the company's stock.

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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