Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Shares Down 5.1% – What’s Next?

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK) shares traded down 5.1% during mid-day trading on Friday. The company traded as low as $8.34 and last traded at $8.2750. 280,408 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 1,180,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LILAK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Liberty Global from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Liberty Global in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $9.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $9.00.

Liberty Global Price Performance

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $8.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.06. The stock has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.65 and a beta of 0.70.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.02 by ($0.15). Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 2.20% and a negative return on equity of 8.50%. The company had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Angoitia Alfonso De bought 313,104 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $20.95 per share, for a total transaction of $6,559,528.80. Following the purchase, the director owned 476,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,976,180.50. This trade represents a 191.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director John C. Malone bought 21,013 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.98 per share, for a total transaction of $188,696.74. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,412,175 shares in the company, valued at $12,681,331.50. The trade was a 1.51% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired 970,439 shares of company stock worth $16,180,721 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Liberty Global

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LILAK. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 50.8% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 4,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,550 shares in the last quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 47,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 3,271 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in Liberty Global by 383.8% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 111,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $867,000 after purchasing an additional 88,248 shares in the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Liberty Global in the second quarter worth $156,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new stake in shares of Liberty Global during the second quarter worth $99,000. 52.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Liberty Global Company Profile

Liberty Global plc is an international telecommunications and media company that provides broadband, mobile, video and fixed-line communications services. Its operations have historically focused on markets across Europe, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, Switzerland and Ireland, although the company has changed its portfolio over time through acquisitions, disposals and strategic investments.

The company offers services such as high-speed internet, mobile connectivity, television and voice communications to residential customers, as well as data, connectivity and communications solutions for businesses.