Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes $8.03 Million Position in Starz Entertainment Corp. $STRZ

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Starz Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ:STRZ) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 278,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,027,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Starz Entertainment in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in Starz Entertainment during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in Starz Entertainment during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Starz Entertainment by 101.8% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund acquired a new position in Starz Entertainment during the 2nd quarter valued at about $48,000.

Insider Transactions at Starz Entertainment

In other news, insider James M. Kapenstein purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $25.73 per share, with a total value of $25,730.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 12,302 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $316,530.46. This represents a 8.85% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey Hirsch acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $24.80 per share, with a total value of $248,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,612,000. This represents a 18.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 22.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. B. Riley Financial began coverage on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $45.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Starz Entertainment and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Starz Entertainment from $13.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Starz Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.50.

Starz Entertainment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:STRZ opened at $27.17 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.66. Starz Entertainment Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $8.40 and a fifty-two week high of $32.58. The company has a market capitalization of $465.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.07 and a beta of 2.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 0.25 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported ($11.27) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.59) by ($10.68). Starz Entertainment had a negative net margin of 33.98% and a negative return on equity of 25.64%. The firm had revenue of $307.90 million for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Starz Entertainment Corp. will post -6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

About Starz Entertainment

Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ: STRZ) is a global media and entertainment company that operates premium subscription video services across linear television and digital streaming platforms. The company’s core offering includes the STARZ and STARZ ENCORE linear networks in the United States, alongside its STARZPLAY streaming service, which is available in North America, parts of Europe, Latin America and select Asian markets. Through its multi-platform distribution strategy, Starz delivers a combination of original programming, feature films and licensed series to a broad subscriber base.

At the heart of Starz Entertainment’s business is its investment in original content production.