Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $12.16 and last traded at $12.1350, with a volume of 1083588 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $11.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on LBTYA. UBS Group boosted their target price on Liberty Global from $11.80 to $12.60 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Liberty Global from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.40.

Liberty Global Trading Up 12.0%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $10.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.17. The company has a market capitalization of $4.21 billion, a PE ratio of -2.06 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported ($21.06) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by ($20.60). The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.21 billion. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 14.71% and a negative net margin of 41.44%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Liberty Global Ltd will post -1.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Charles H. R. Bracken sold 33,220 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.18, for a total transaction of $371,399.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 11.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Global

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Evolve Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Liberty Global in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Clearline Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 501.2% in the fourth quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 1,080,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,032,000 after buying an additional 900,419 shares during the period. Contour Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Liberty Global by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Contour Asset Management LLC now owns 5,183,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,740,000 after buying an additional 857,244 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Liberty Global by 75.0% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,423,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,543,000 after buying an additional 5,751,520 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Liberty Global by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 149,993 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,671,000 after acquiring an additional 13,822 shares during the last quarter. 37.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global plc operates as a leading international telecommunications and television company, offering a wide array of broadband internet, digital cable television, fixed-line telephony and mobile services. Through its extensive fiber and hybrid-fiber coaxial networks, the company delivers high-speed internet connectivity, video on demand and interactive television platforms to residential and business customers. Its service portfolio includes digital voice, managed Wi-Fi solutions, home security and converged connectivity bundles designed to meet evolving consumer and enterprise demands.

The company’s footprint spans key European markets, including the United Kingdom and Ireland under the Virgin Media brand, the Netherlands through Ziggo, Belgium via Telenet, and operations in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Poland and Luxembourg.