Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) Lowered to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on LBRT. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Liberty Energy in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Liberty Energy in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $32.00 price objective on shares of Liberty Energy in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Liberty Energy from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Liberty Energy from $28.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.09.

Liberty Energy Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE:LBRT opened at $25.22 on Tuesday. Liberty Energy has a 12 month low of $9.90 and a 12 month high of $34.48. The firm has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company’s 50 day moving average is $27.78 and its 200-day moving average is $27.21.

Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.01. Liberty Energy had a net margin of 3.71% and a return on equity of 1.41%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.12 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Liberty Energy will post 0.28 EPS for the current year.

Liberty Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 18th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. Liberty Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Liberty Energy news, Chairman William F. Kimble sold 7,350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.92, for a total value of $249,312.00. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 89,805 shares in the company, valued at $3,046,185.60. This trade represents a 7.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Stock sold 9,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.89, for a total transaction of $258,874.11. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 773,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,031,377.79. The trade was a 1.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 54,012 shares of company stock valued at $1,673,803. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Liberty Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LBRT. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Liberty Energy by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 94,205 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,491,000 after acquiring an additional 4,095 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in Liberty Energy by 1,992.2% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 12,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $190,000 after purchasing an additional 11,455 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Liberty Energy by 0.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 868,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,756,000 after purchasing an additional 4,955 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Liberty Energy by 22.0% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 81,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,289,000 after buying an additional 14,663 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Liberty Energy during the second quarter worth $119,000. 98.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Liberty Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Liberty Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Liberty Energy reported second-quarter earnings of $0.09 per share, ahead of consensus estimates, and revenue rose 14% year over year to $1.2 billion. The company also highlighted $43 million in net income and announced a cash dividend distribution to shareholders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Liberty Energy and PowerBridge formed a strategic joint venture to support powered data center campus development, a move that expands the company’s exposure to growing energy demand tied to AI and digital infrastructure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock saw unusually high call option activity, which signals heightened trader interest but does not clearly point to a fundamental change in the business outlook. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Liberty Energy from “strong-buy” to “hold,” which may temper some of the enthusiasm following the earnings beat. Article Title

Liberty Energy Company Profile

Liberty Energy Inc provides hydraulic services and related technologies to onshore oil and natural gas exploration, and production companies in North America. The company offers hydraulic fracturing services, including complementary services, such as wireline services, proppant delivery solutions, field gas processing and treating, compressed natural gas (CNG) delivery, data analytics, related goods comprising sand mine operations, and technologies; and well site fueling and logistics. As of as of December 31, 2023, the company owned and operated a fleet of approximately 40 active hydraulic fracturing; and two sand mines in the Permian Basin.