Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK) saw strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 3,164,070 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 235% from the previous session’s volume of 943,612 shares.The stock last traded at $4.9950 and had previously closed at $4.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LILAK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.20.

Liberty Global Stock Up 7.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.78, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.08 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $7.90 and its 200 day moving average is $7.95.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 11.20% and a negative return on equity of 43.70%.

Insider Activity at Liberty Global

In other Liberty Global news, CEO Balan Nair bought 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $8.07 per share, with a total value of $161,400.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 3,125,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,219,064.73. The trade was a 0.64% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John C. Malone bought 12,406,463 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $8.63 per share, for a total transaction of $107,067,775.69. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 21,173,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $182,723,145.34. This represents a 141.52% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 9.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LILAK. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 377.3% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 2,479 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Liberty Global during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Liberty Global by 85.9% in the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 8,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 3,934 shares during the period. Xponance LLC acquired a new stake in Liberty Global in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Liberty Global during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $78,000. 52.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global plc is a leading international telecommunications and television company, offering video, broadband Internet, fixed-line and mobile services to residential and business customers. Headquartered in London and operating as an ADR on the NASDAQ under the ticker LILAK, the company focuses on developing advanced broadband networks and delivering entertainment and connectivity solutions across Europe.

The company’s core products include high-speed cable broadband, digital and interactive television, fixed-line telephony, and mobile services.