Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Ziff Davis has an average analyst rating of “Hold” from nine covering firms, with an average 1-year price target of $47.25. Analyst opinions are mixed, with three buy ratings, five holds, and one sell.
• The company recently reported quarterly earnings of $0.73 per share, slightly ahead of expectations, on $267.64 million in revenue. However, revenue was still down 1.9% year over year from the prior period.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including sales by the EVP and CFO, and institutional ownership remains very high at 99.76%. Recent trading activity suggests some caution even as the stock has moved near its 52-week high.

Shares of Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the nine ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $47.25.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ZD shares. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Ziff Davis from $29.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ziff Davis from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ziff Davis from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Ziff Davis from $45.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Ziff Davis from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th.

Ziff Davis Price Performance

ZD stock opened at $46.03 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $44.90 and a 200 day moving average of $39.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of 40.73 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Ziff Davis has a 52 week low of $22.45 and a 52 week high of $50.55.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $267.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $264.32 million. Ziff Davis had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 12.17%. Ziff Davis's revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ziff Davis will post 4.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ziff Davis news, EVP Jeremy Rossen sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.00, for a total transaction of $376,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $679,714. This trade represents a 35.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Bret Richter sold 18,000 shares of Ziff Davis stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.88, for a total transaction of $843,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 29,244 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,370,958.72. This trade represents a 38.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 31,422 shares of company stock valued at $1,468,864. 3.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ziff Davis

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ziff Davis by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 288,785 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $12,117,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Ziff Davis during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,489,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Ziff Davis by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,526,329 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $147,963,000 after purchasing an additional 92,496 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Ziff Davis by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 119,364 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $5,009,000 after purchasing an additional 4,678 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Ziff Davis by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 46,368 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,946,000 after purchasing an additional 8,008 shares in the last quarter. 99.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ziff Davis Company Profile

Ziff Davis, Inc is a digital media and internet company that operates a diverse portfolio of online brands, subscription-based services and performance marketing platforms. The company specializes in technology publishing and digital marketing solutions, offering content, reviews and insights tailored to consumer and enterprise audiences. Ziff Davis's flagship media properties include PCMag, which provides expert reviews and comparisons of consumer electronics and software, as well as IGN, a leading destination for gaming news, reviews and entertainment coverage.

Founded in 1927 by William B.

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