Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Shares Up 5.2% – Still a Buy?

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK)’s stock price traded up 5.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $7.71 and last traded at $7.7830. 86,101 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 1,069,260 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on LILAK. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.20.

Liberty Global Stock Down 0.3%

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $7.81. The company has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.00 and a beta of 0.72.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.04 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 Liberty Global news, SVP John M. Winter bought 5,071 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $19.67 per share, for a total transaction of $99,746.57. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president owned 64,547 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,269,639.49. This trade represents a 8.53% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles H. R. Bracken bought 4,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $20.50 per share, with a total value of $100,450.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 18,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $386,773.50. This represents a 35.08% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders acquired 14,820,228 shares of company stock worth $121,249,631. 9.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Liberty Global by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 796,975 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,029,000 after acquiring an additional 29,933 shares in the last quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 142.3% in the first quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 44,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 25,885 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 26.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 467,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,124,000 after purchasing an additional 98,507 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 377.3% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 2,479 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 44.5% during the first quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 15,395,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,788,000 after purchasing an additional 4,738,495 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.98% of the company’s stock.

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.