Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Share Price Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $7.42 and traded as high as $7.50. Liberty Global shares last traded at $7.33, with a volume of 1,286,334 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on LILAK shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $8.00 price objective (up from $6.45) on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.10.

Liberty Global Stock Down 1.7%

The firm has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.96 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $7.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.79.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Balan Nair acquired 164,914 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $6.07 per share, with a total value of $1,001,027.98. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 3,276,798 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,890,163.86. The trade was a 5.30% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP John M. Winter acquired 5,071 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $19.67 per share, with a total value of $99,746.57. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president directly owned 64,547 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,269,639.49. This trade represents a 8.53% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought a total of 14,820,228 shares of company stock worth $121,249,631 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.66% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Global

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LILAK. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 3.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 796,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,029,000 after acquiring an additional 29,933 shares during the period. Cim Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 142.3% in the 1st quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 44,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 25,885 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 26.7% in the 1st 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 Liberty Global by 377.3% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $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 1st quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 15,395,430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,788,000 after buying an additional 4,738,495 shares in the last quarter. 52.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Liberty Global

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.