Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Trading 8% Higher – What’s Next?

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK) shares were up 8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $8.24 and last traded at $8.2950. Approximately 348,774 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 1,101,165 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.68.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LILAK. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $8.00 target price (up from $6.45) on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.10.

Liberty Global Trading Up 6.2%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $7.39 and a 200-day moving average of $7.80. The stock has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of -3.28 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Liberty Global

In other Liberty Global news, Director John C. Malone purchased 12,406,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $8.63 per share, for a total transaction of $107,067,775.69. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 21,173,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $182,723,145.34. This trade represents a 141.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Brendan J. Paddick acquired 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.88 per share, for a total transaction of $488,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,559,542 shares in the company, valued at $7,610,564.96. The trade was a 6.85% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders acquired 14,820,228 shares of company stock valued at $121,249,631. Insiders own 9.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LILAK. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 2,479 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 85.9% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 8,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 3,934 shares during the last quarter. Xponance LLC acquired a new position in Liberty Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $75,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co. purchased a new stake in Liberty Global during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $78,000. 52.98% of the stock is currently 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.