Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Trading Down 6.6% – Here’s What Happened

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK) was down 6.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $4.90 and last traded at $4.9050. 730,920 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 888,242 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.25.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LILAK. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.20.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $7.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.78. The company has a market capitalization of $964.71 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.93 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 23,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,000 after purchasing an additional 1,494 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 2,253 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Liberty Global by 377.3% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 2,479 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in Liberty Global by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 158,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $985,000 after buying an additional 2,533 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Liberty Global by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 13,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 2,552 shares in the last quarter. 52.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Liberty Global Company Profile

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.