Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $8.14 EPS

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported ($8.60) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by ($8.14), Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.21 billion. Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 41.44% and a negative return on equity of 14.71%.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

Shares of LBTYA stock opened at $13.03 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.14 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $11.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.18. Liberty Global has a one year low of $9.02 and a one year high of $13.52.

Insider Transactions at Liberty Global

In other news, CFO Charles H. R. Bracken sold 33,220 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.18, for a total value of $371,399.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 13.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Liberty Global

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LBTYA. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 75.0% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,423,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,543,000 after purchasing an additional 5,751,520 shares in the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 10,018,432 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,605,000 after buying an additional 2,268,065 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,310,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,581,000 after buying an additional 200,348 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Liberty Global by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,365,307 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,566,000 after acquiring an additional 39,179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Liberty Global by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,125,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,824,000 after acquiring an additional 162,561 shares in the last quarter. 37.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on LBTYA shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Liberty Global from $11.80 to $12.60 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Liberty Global from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.40.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global plc operates as a leading international telecommunications and television company, offering a wide array of broadband internet, digital cable television, fixed-line telephony and mobile services. Through its extensive fiber and hybrid-fiber coaxial networks, the company delivers high-speed internet connectivity, video on demand and interactive television platforms to residential and business customers. Its service portfolio includes digital voice, managed Wi-Fi solutions, home security and converged connectivity bundles designed to meet evolving consumer and enterprise demands.

The company’s footprint spans key European markets, including the United Kingdom and Ireland under the Virgin Media brand, the Netherlands through Ziggo, Belgium via Telenet, and operations in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Poland and Luxembourg.