Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) Hits New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Ziff Davis shares reached a new 52-week high of $58.21 and were recently trading around $58.32, up 4.1%. The company has a $2.05 billion market capitalization and trades at a reported P/E ratio of 3.38.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: three analysts rate the stock a Buy, five a Hold and one a Sell. The consensus rating is Hold, with an average price target of $59.75; targets range from $59 to $65 among recent updates.
• Ziff Davis exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.03 in EPS versus an $0.81 estimate, while revenue of $286.74 million was roughly in line with forecasts but fell 18.7% year over year. Insiders sold $425,436 of stock over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own 99.76% of shares.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $58.21 and last traded at $58.3150, with a volume of 221413 shares. The stock had previously closed at $57.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on Ziff Davis from $48.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ziff Davis from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Ziff Davis in a report on Friday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Ziff Davis from $48.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ziff Davis from $30.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $59.75.

Ziff Davis Stock Up 4.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.60. The firm has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.09.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $286.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $286.10 million. Ziff Davis had a return on equity of 10.73% and a net margin of 48.57%.The company's revenue was down 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share.

Insider Activity

In other Ziff Davis news, Director W. Brian Kretzmer sold 2,513 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.31, for a total transaction of $138,994.03. Following the sale, the director directly owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,200. This trade represents a 11.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeremy Rossen sold 3,819 shares of Ziff Davis stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.93, for a total value of $209,777.67. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,643 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $584,619.99. The trade was a 26.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 7,732 shares of company stock worth $425,436 over the last 90 days. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ziff Davis

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ZD. Corsair Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Ziff Davis in the 1st quarter worth $1,888,000. Aldebaran Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ziff Davis during the first quarter valued at about $1,728,000. NewGen Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Ziff Davis in the first quarter worth about $2,203,000. Incline Global Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ziff Davis by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Incline Global Management LLC now owns 401,933 shares of the technology company's stock worth $14,128,000 after buying an additional 30,212 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Ziff Davis by 689.6% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 974,591 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $40,894,000 after buying an additional 851,163 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.76% of the company's stock.

About Ziff Davis

Ziff Davis, Inc is a digital media and technology company that operates a portfolio of internet-based brands serving consumers and businesses. Its properties provide technology news and reviews, gaming and entertainment content, health and wellness information, shopping resources, and specialized business media.

The company's brands include PCMag, IGN, Mashable, Lifehacker, RetailMeNot, Humble Bundle, Spiceworks, Ookla and Speedtest, among others. Ziff Davis also offers cybersecurity, marketing technology and consumer subscription services, including products and platforms designed to support privacy, online security, connectivity testing and digital engagement.

Ziff Davis traces its roots to the publishing company founded by William B.

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