Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ) Stock Rating Upgraded by B. Riley Financial

Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ) was upgraded by stock analysts at B. Riley Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on STRZ. Robert W. Baird set a $30.00 price target on Starz Entertainment and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Starz Entertainment from $13.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Two equities research analysts have 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Starz Entertainment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.71.

Starz Entertainment Price Performance

NASDAQ:STRZ opened at $30.21 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $505.41 million, a PE ratio of -1.80 and a beta of 2.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.06. Starz Entertainment has a 1-year low of $8.40 and a 1-year high of $32.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Scott D. Macdonald purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $20.59 per share, with a total value of $102,950.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 18,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $386,206.63. This represents a 36.35% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey Hirsch bought 10,000 shares of Starz Entertainment stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $20.72 per share, for a total transaction of $207,200.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 55,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,139,600. The trade was a 22.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 22.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Starz Entertainment

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starz Entertainment in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,076,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Starz Entertainment during the second quarter valued at about $409,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Starz Entertainment in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Rhumbline Advisers bought a new position in Starz Entertainment in the second quarter worth $318,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Starz Entertainment in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000.

Starz Entertainment Company Profile

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.