Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ) Given a $14.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has lowered its price target for Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ) from $15.00 to $14.00, indicating a potential downside of 8.85% from the stock's current price.
• Despite the downgrade, other analysts have varied ratings on Starz, with one issuing a 'strong buy' rating and others generally rating it as a 'moderate buy' with an average price target of $25.00.
• The company's recent earnings report showed a significant miss, with an EPS of ($2.54) compared to the consensus estimate of ($1.39).

Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ - Get Free Report) received a $14.00 target price from Morgan Stanley in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price target points to a potential upside of 14.38% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $22.00 price objective (up from $19.00) on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Starz Entertainment from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. TD Cowen raised Starz Entertainment to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Benchmark began coverage on Starz Entertainment in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $39.00 target price for the company. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised Starz Entertainment to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Starz Entertainment has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $25.00.

Starz Entertainment Trading Down 20.3%

Shares of STRZ stock traded down $3.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $12.24. The company had a trading volume of 699,671 shares, compared to its average volume of 119,462. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $15.80. Starz Entertainment has a 52 week low of $8.00 and a 52 week high of $22.98.

Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 14th. The company reported ($2.54) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.39) by ($1.15). The company had revenue of $319.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $328.70 million.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mark H. Md Rachesky purchased 353,334 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $14.15 per share, with a total value of $4,999,676.10. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 471,153 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,666,814.95. This represents a 299.90% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. sold 353,334 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.15, for a total transaction of $4,999,676.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 53.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starz Entertainment

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of STRZ. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Starz Entertainment during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. CWM LLC purchased a new stake in Starz Entertainment in the second quarter worth $33,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Starz Entertainment in the second quarter worth $41,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund purchased a new stake in Starz Entertainment in the second quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey purchased a new stake in Starz Entertainment in the second quarter worth $49,000.

Starz Entertainment Company Profile

Starz is a premium cable and streaming network owned by Starz Entertainment, which was formerly a part of Lionsgate. Starz had about 20 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada as of Dec. 31, 2024. The company's franchises include “Outlander” and “Power."