Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Shares Down 6.6% – Here’s What Happened

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK) dropped 6.6% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $4.90 and last traded at $4.9050. Approximately 730,920 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 888,242 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.25.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LILAK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.20.

Liberty Global Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $979.81 million, a PE ratio of -1.95 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.78. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.00.

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

Insider Transactions at Liberty Global

In other Liberty Global news, CEO Balan Nair purchased 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $8.07 per share, for a total transaction of $161,400.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 3,125,039 shares in the company, valued at $25,219,064.73. This represents a 0.64% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John C. Malone bought 12,406,463 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.63 per share, with a total value of $107,067,775.69. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 21,173,018 shares in the company, valued at $182,723,145.34. This represents a 141.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 9.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Liberty Global

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Liberty Global by 377.3% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 2,479 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Liberty Global in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Liberty Global by 85.9% in the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 8,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 3,934 shares in the last quarter. Xponance LLC purchased a new stake in Liberty Global in the 4th quarter valued at $75,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Liberty Global during the fourth quarter worth about $78,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.