Manchester United (NYSE:MANU) Rating Increased to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Manchester United (NYSE:MANU) from a "strong sell" to a "sell", Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (e+)", and MarketBeat shows a consensus Sell rating.
• Manchester United missed quarterly EPS estimates ($0.03 reported vs. $0.09 expected), has negative ROE and net margin, a projected FY EPS of -0.74, a market cap of about $3.02 billion, and a high debt-to-equity ratio of 2.52.
• Several institutional investors increased positions in Q4—Invesco opened a ~$6.7M stake and Pinnacle and GAMCO significantly added shares—leaving institutions owning roughly 23.34% of the stock.

Manchester United (NYSE:MANU - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Manchester United in a report on Monday, December 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Manchester United has a consensus rating of "Sell".

Manchester United Price Performance

Shares of MANU stock opened at $17.53 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -250.34 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.30. Manchester United has a 1-year low of $13.22 and a 1-year high of $19.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $17.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.67.

Manchester United (NYSE:MANU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.06). Manchester United had a negative return on equity of 4.85% and a negative net margin of 1.39%.The firm had revenue of $255.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $251.72 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Manchester United will post -0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. acquired a new position in Manchester United during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,665,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its stake in Manchester United by 30.4% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 1,404,151 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,354,000 after buying an additional 327,553 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its stake in Manchester United by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 523,851 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,340,000 after buying an additional 261,901 shares during the period. Harvey Partners LLC increased its stake in Manchester United by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. Harvey Partners LLC now owns 1,102,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,692,000 after buying an additional 150,802 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Manchester United by 83.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 243,444 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,686,000 after buying an additional 111,011 shares during the period. 23.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Manchester United

Manchester United plc is a global sports and entertainment company best known for its ownership and operation of Manchester United Football Club, one of the most prominent professional football clubs in the world. The company's core activities include the organization and promotion of competitive football matches, management of club facilities such as Old Trafford stadium, and the development of youth and academy programs. As a publicly traded entity on the New York Stock Exchange NYSE: MANU, Manchester United plc leverages its status to expand commercial partnerships and broaden its international footprint.

The company's revenue streams are diversified across matchday operations, broadcast rights, commercial partnerships, and licensing and merchandising.

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