Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) Earns Sell (D) Rating from Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) received a "Sell (D)" rating from Weiss Ratings, maintaining a mix of assessments from other analysts, including a "Buy" rating from Wall Street Zen.
• The stock is currently trading at $38.72, down $0.18, with a market cap of $1.59 billion and average price target of $38.83.
• Insider trading activity includes director Sarah Ann Fay purchasing 1,354 shares, increasing her ownership by 6.08%, following positive earnings results reported earlier this month.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sell (d)" rating restated by equities researchers at Weiss Ratings in a research report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $40.00 price target on shares of Ziff Davis in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Barclays reissued a "positive" rating on shares of Ziff Davis in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ziff Davis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $38.83.

Ziff Davis Stock Performance

ZD stock traded down $0.18 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.72. The company had a trading volume of 122,976 shares, compared to its average volume of 539,768. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.04. The company has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.82 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.59. Ziff Davis has a twelve month low of $28.55 and a twelve month high of $60.62.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The technology company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $352.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $337.47 million. Ziff Davis had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 13.91%. Ziff Davis's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ziff Davis will post 5.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sarah Ann Fay purchased 1,354 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $36.89 per share, with a total value of $49,949.06. Following the acquisition, the director owned 23,619 shares in the company, valued at $871,304.91. The trade was a 6.08% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ziff Davis

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ZD. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Ziff Davis by 148.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 713 shares of the technology company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Ziff Davis by 149.8% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,029 shares of the technology company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Ziff Davis during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Ziff Davis during the 1st quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Ziff Davis during the 1st quarter worth $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.76% of the company's stock.

Ziff Davis Company Profile

Ziff Davis, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media and internet company in the United States and internationally. The company offers PCMag, an online resource for laboratory-based product reviews, technology news, buying guides, and research papers; Mashable for publishing technology and culture content; Spiceworks Ziff Davis provides digital content of IT products and services; retailMeNot, a savings destination platform; Offers.com, a coupon and deals website; and event-based properties, including BlackFriday.com, TheBlackFriday.com, BestBlackFriday.com, and DealsofAmerica.com.

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