Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.09 EPS

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The technology company reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.09), Zacks reports. Ziff Davis had a net margin of 48.57% and a return on equity of 10.73%.

Ziff Davis Price Performance

Shares of ZD traded down $2.47 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $54.28. 763,176 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 732,946. Ziff Davis has a 1-year low of $22.45 and a 1-year high of $60.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16. The company has a 50 day moving average of $56.44 and a 200-day moving average of $47.56. The stock has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.10.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jeremy Rossen sold 3,819 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.93, for a total transaction of $209,777.67. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $584,619.99. This represents a 26.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Lori A. Tansley sold 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.76, for a total transaction of $76,664.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,000.92. This trade represents a 64.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 quarter. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Yorkville Ives started coverage on Ziff Davis in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $68.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Ziff Davis from $48.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ziff Davis from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $64.00 price objective on shares of Ziff Davis in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Ziff Davis from $60.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ziff Davis presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.67.

Ziff Davis Company Profile

Ziff Davis, Inc is a digital media and technology company that operates a portfolio of online brands serving consumers, technology professionals, businesses and advertisers. Its properties cover technology, gaming and entertainment, shopping, health and wellness, and related digital services.

The company’s brands include PCMag, Mashable, IGN, Humble Bundle, RetailMeNot, Spiceworks, Ookla and its Speedtest and Downdetector services, as well as health and wellness publications and platforms operated through its Everyday Health Group.