UBS Group AG Increases Stake in Liberty Global PLC $LILAK

UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK) by 45.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 462,282 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 144,521 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned 0.23% of Liberty Global worth $3,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Liberty Global by 24.5% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,287,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,869,000 after purchasing an additional 253,169 shares during the period. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Liberty Global in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,110,000. Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in Liberty Global by 899.7% in the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,093,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,228,000 after purchasing an additional 983,944 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Liberty Global in the third quarter valued at approximately $760,000. Finally, Oaktree Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Liberty Global by 186.4% in the third quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP now owns 6,669,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,293,000 after purchasing an additional 4,341,307 shares during the period. 52.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Liberty Global currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.20.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LILAK opened at $8.03 on Monday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $8.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion, a PE ratio of -3.24 and a beta of 0.72. Liberty Global PLC has a 1 year low of $4.89 and a 1 year high of $9.13.

Liberty Global shares are scheduled to split before the market opens on Monday, June 1st. The 11-10 split was recently announced. The newly minted shares will be issued to shareholders after the closing bell on Sunday, May 31st.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during 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%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Balan Nair purchased 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost 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 approximately $25,219,064.73. The trade was a 0.64% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 9.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Liberty Global 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.