Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Stock Price

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) had its price target raised by analysts at Citigroup from $9.00 to $11.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Citigroup‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 13.34% from the company’s current price.

LILAK has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. UBS Group began coverage on Liberty Global in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $9.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $10.00.

Liberty Global Stock Down 5.8%

Shares of LILAK traded down $0.59 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $9.71. 969,733 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,253,219. Liberty Global has a 12-month low of $4.76 and a 12-month high of $10.42. The firm has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.45 and a beta of 0.75. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.09.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.42) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by ($0.41). Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 3.86% and a negative return on equity of 8.50%. The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John Malone acquired 69,454 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $8.50 per share, for a total transaction of $590,359.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 306,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,853.50. The trade was a 29.29% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Angoitia Alfonso De bought 313,104 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were purchased 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 in the company, valued at $9,976,180.50. This trade represents a 191.99% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 696,303 shares of company stock valued at $12,702,161. 9.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Liberty Global

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 119.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 266,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,194,000 after acquiring an additional 145,311 shares during the last quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global in the third quarter valued at approximately $763,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 53.3% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 4,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 23.5% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 10,559 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 2,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its stake in Liberty Global by 94.0% during the 3rd quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 35,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after buying an additional 17,100 shares during the period. 52.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global plc is an international telecommunications and media company that provides broadband, mobile, television and related digital services through operating companies and joint ventures. Its businesses serve customers in several European markets, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Its operations include Virgin Media O2 in the UK, a joint venture with Telefónica; VodafoneZiggo in the Netherlands, also a joint venture; and businesses such as Telenet in Belgium and Sunrise in Switzerland.