Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Stock Price Up 13.2% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Liberty Global's stock price increased by 13.2% to $8.29, following a high of $8.58, despite a decrease in trading volume.
• Analysts have downgraded Liberty Global from a "buy" to a "hold" rating, reflecting cautious sentiment despite recent stock gains.
• The company reported a loss of ($0.69) EPS for the last quarter, missing the consensus estimates, along with a negative return on equity of 44.60%.

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 13.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $8.58 and last traded at $8.29. Approximately 803,022 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 28% from the average daily volume of 1,112,419 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.32.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Liberty Global from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th.

Liberty Global Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.97 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.00, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm's 50-day moving average is $6.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.10.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.69) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.14) by ($0.55). Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 44.60% and a negative net margin of 17.85%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion.

Insider Activity at Liberty Global

In other news, CEO Balan Nair acquired 22,779 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $4.39 per share, with a total value of $99,999.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,651,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,247,894.39. The trade was a 1.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Christopher J. Noyes bought 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $4.53 per share, with a total value of $36,240.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 231,621 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,049,243.13. This represents a 3.58% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 9.66% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Liberty Global

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LILAK. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Liberty Global by 42.8% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 404,042 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,509,000 after acquiring an additional 121,105 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Liberty Global by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 71,532 shares of the company's stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 2,652 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 4,054.1% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 809,417 shares of the company's stock worth $5,087,000 after buying an additional 789,932 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 223,019 shares of the company's stock worth $1,413,000 after purchasing an additional 22,770 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Liberty Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $572,000. 52.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Liberty Global Company Profile

Liberty Latin America Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides fixed, mobile, and subsea telecommunications services. The company operates through C&W Caribbean, C&W Panama, Liberty Networks, Liberty Puerto Rico, and Liberty Costa Rico segments. It offers communications and entertainment services, including video, broadband internet, fixed-line, telephony, and mobiles services to residential and business customers; and business products and services that include enterprise-grade connectivity, data center, hosting, and managed solutions, as well as information technology solutions for small and medium enterprises, international companies, and governmental agencies.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.