Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.02 by ($0.15), Zacks reports. Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 11.20% and a negative return on equity of 43.70%.

Liberty Global Price Performance

LILAK stock traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $8.26. 1,091,829 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,114,916. Liberty Global has a 1-year low of $4.76 and a 1-year high of $9.13. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $7.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.84. The firm has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.33 and a beta of 0.71.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Brendan J. Paddick bought 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.88 per share, with a total value of $488,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 1,559,542 shares in the company, valued at $7,610,564.96. The trade was a 6.85% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John C. Malone bought 12,406,463 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $8.63 per share, for a total transaction of $107,067,775.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,173,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $182,723,145.34. This trade represents a 141.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 14,820,228 shares of company stock worth $121,249,631. 9.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Liberty Global

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LILAK. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 41,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 3,194 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 93.6% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 22,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 10,829 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 183.0% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 194,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,455,000 after acquiring an additional 126,009 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Liberty Global by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 767,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,722,000 after acquiring an additional 29,870 shares during the period. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Liberty Global by 41.2% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 175,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,312,000 after purchasing an additional 51,361 shares in the last quarter. 52.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LILAK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $8.00 target price (up from $6.45) on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.10.

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.