Baird R W Upgrades Lionsgate Studios (NYSE:LION) to "Strong-Buy"

Key Points

• Lionsgate Studios was upgraded to a "strong-buy" rating by Baird R W, with other analysts giving ratings ranging from "buy" to "sell" and setting various target prices.
• The company reported a loss of ($0.34) EPS in its latest quarterly earnings, missing the analysts' expectations, which projected a loss of ($0.16).
• Major shareholder Liberty 77 Capital L.P. significantly increased their position by acquiring 500,000 shares at an average price of $5.63, indicating confidence in the company's prospects.

Lionsgate Studios (NYSE:LION - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Baird R W to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently commented on LION. Rosenblatt Securities dropped their price objective on Lionsgate Studios from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Lionsgate Studios in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lionsgate Studios from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. Loop Capital began coverage on Lionsgate Studios in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $8.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Lionsgate Studios in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $9.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lionsgate Studios presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $8.75.

Lionsgate Studios Price Performance

Shares of LION stock traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $6.65. The company had a trading volume of 2,942,913 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,900,847. The company has a 50 day moving average of $6.23 and a 200 day moving average of $7.30. The firm has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.93 and a beta of -0.21. Lionsgate Studios has a 1-year low of $5.55 and a 1-year high of $8.50.

Lionsgate Studios (NYSE:LION - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported ($0.34) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.16) by ($0.18). As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lionsgate Studios will post 0.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Lionsgate Studios

In related news, major shareholder Liberty 77 Capital L.P. purchased 72,089 shares of Lionsgate Studios stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $5.59 per share, with a total value of $402,977.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 37,548,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $209,894,018.75. This trade represents a 0.19% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders bought a total of 1,559,489 shares of company stock worth $8,950,186 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Lionsgate Studios by 4,852.0% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 4,952 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 4,852 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Lionsgate Studios during the second quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Marex Group plc acquired a new position in Lionsgate Studios during the second quarter valued at approximately $119,000. Boussard & Gavaudan Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in Lionsgate Studios during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,407,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Lionsgate Studios by 566.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 18,470 shares of the company's stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 15,699 shares during the last quarter.

About Lionsgate Studios

Lionsgate Studios Corp. engages in the provision of motion picture and studio operations that bring a varied portfolio of entertainment to consumers. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.