Liberty Latin America (NASDAQ:LILA) Trading Up 13.4% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Liberty Latin America Ltd. saw a significant stock increase of 13.4%, trading up to $8.13 from a previous close of $7.17, with about 180,276 shares exchanged.
• Benchmark upgraded Liberty Latin America to a "strong-buy" rating, indicating positive sentiment among Wall Street analysts regarding the company's growth prospects.
• The company reported a quarterly loss with a negative earnings per share of ($2.12) and a negative return on equity of 44.60%, raising concerns about its financial stability.

Liberty Latin America Ltd. (NASDAQ:LILA - Get Free Report) was up 13.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $8.39 and last traded at $8.13. Approximately 180,276 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 59% from the average daily volume of 442,180 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.17.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Benchmark raised Liberty Latin America to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd.

Liberty Latin America Trading Up 8.8%

The firm has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of -1.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.00, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.07.

Liberty Latin America (NASDAQ:LILA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported ($2.12) earnings per share for the quarter. Liberty Latin America had a negative return on equity of 44.60% and a negative net margin of 17.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Liberty Latin America Ltd. will post -0.22 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Liberty Latin America

In related news, CEO Balan Nair acquired 22,779 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $4.39 per share, with a total value of $99,999.81. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,651,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,247,894.39. This represents a 1.40% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Christopher J. Noyes bought 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $4.53 per share, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 3.58% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 11.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Latin America

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LILA. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Liberty Latin America in the first quarter worth about $34,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in Liberty Latin America during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Corton Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Liberty Latin America in the second quarter worth $66,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Liberty Latin America during the 4th quarter worth about $77,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Liberty Latin America by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 12,503 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 1,422 shares in the last quarter. 18.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Liberty Latin America

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.

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