Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Sets New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Liberty Global reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $10.42 before its latest quoted price of $10.188.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of -$0.42, missing analysts’ -$0.01 estimate; revenue of $1.12 billion also fell short of the $1.14 billion consensus.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the consensus rating is “Reduce,” with an average $9 price target. Company insiders bought shares during the quarter.

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday. The company traded as high as $10.42 and last traded at $10.1880, with a volume of 38,234 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $10.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on LILAK. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Liberty Global from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Liberty Global in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $9.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $9.00.

Liberty Global Trading Down 2.0%

The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $8.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.85 and a beta of 0.75.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.42) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.01) by ($0.41). The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 8.50% and a negative net margin of 3.86%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John Malone purchased 7,960 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $20.08 per share, with a total value of $159,836.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,313,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,457,830.96. This trade represents a 0.35% 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. Also, Director Angoitia Alfonso De purchased 313,104 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $20.95 per share, with a total value of $6,559,528.80. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 476,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,976,180.50. This represents a 191.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased 696,303 shares of company stock worth $12,702,161 in the last quarter. 9.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Liberty Global

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rubric Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 44.5% in the first quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 15,395,430 shares of the company's stock valued at $135,788,000 after buying an additional 4,738,495 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 1.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 9,687,133 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,439,000 after acquiring an additional 129,952 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 3.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 796,975 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,029,000 after acquiring an additional 29,933 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 9.8% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 744,252 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,564,000 after acquiring an additional 66,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Liberty Global by 26.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 467,627 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,124,000 after acquiring an additional 98,507 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.98% of the company's stock.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global plc is an international telecommunications and media company that provides broadband, mobile, television and related digital services through operating companies and joint ventures. Its businesses serve customers in several European markets, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Its operations include Virgin Media O2 in the UK, a joint venture with Telefónica; VodafoneZiggo in the Netherlands, also a joint venture; and businesses such as Telenet in Belgium and Sunrise in Switzerland.

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