Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $8.28, but opened at $7.88. Liberty Global shares last traded at $8.1150, with a volume of 137,523 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Liberty Global from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.60.

Liberty Global Stock Up 2.2%

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $7.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of -17.12 and a beta of 0.71.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 8.50% and a negative net margin of 2.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Brendan J. Paddick bought 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $4.88 per share, with a total value of $488,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 1,559,542 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,610,564.96. The trade was a 6.85% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles H. R. Bracken sold 42,975 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.57, for a total value of $368,295.75. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired a total of 2,685,679 shares of company stock worth $17,777,706 over the last three months. 9.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Global

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Liberty Global by 377.3% during the 1st 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. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Liberty Global in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 85.9% in the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 8,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 3,934 shares in the last quarter. Xponance LLC bought a new position in shares of Liberty Global in the fourth quarter worth approximately $75,000. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Liberty Global during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $84,000. Institutional investors own 52.98% of the company’s stock.

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.