Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on Liberty Global from $12.10 to $11.90 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. New Street Research upgraded shares of Liberty Global from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Liberty Global from $10.00 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.78.

Liberty Global Stock Up 0.9%

Liberty Global stock opened at $9.99 on Friday. Liberty Global has a 1-year low of $7.36 and a 1-year high of $13.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.28. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $9.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.97.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by $1.64. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 25.59% and a negative net margin of 44.40%. The business had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Liberty Global will post -1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Liberty Global

In other news, EVP Enrique Rodriguez purchased 211,313 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $9.45 per share, for a total transaction of $1,996,907.85. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 602,378 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,692,472.10. This represents a 54.04% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael T. Fries purchased 110,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.37 per share, for a total transaction of $1,030,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,238,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,604,979.25. This trade represents a 9.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 4.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Global

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LBTYA. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Liberty Global by 42.1% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,360 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 54.2% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 6,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 2,137 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in shares of Liberty Global during the second quarter worth about $76,000. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global during the third quarter worth about $105,000. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global during the third quarter worth about $127,000. 37.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global is an international telecommunications company that provides broadband, mobile, television and fixed-line voice services through operating companies and joint ventures. Its businesses serve residential and business customers, with offerings that include internet access, mobile connectivity, video services and related communications products.

The company’s European portfolio includes Virgin Media O2 in the United Kingdom, VodafoneZiggo in the Netherlands and Telenet in Belgium.