Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $47.25.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ziff Davis from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Ziff Davis from $45.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Piper Sandler set a $48.00 price objective on Ziff Davis in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $61.00 target price on shares of Ziff Davis in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Ziff Davis from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th.

Insider Transactions at Ziff Davis

In related news, EVP Jeremy Rossen sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.00, for a total value of $376,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $679,714. This trade represents a 35.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bret Richter sold 18,000 shares of Ziff Davis stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.88, for a total transaction of $843,840.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 29,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,370,958.72. The trade was a 38.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 31,422 shares of company stock valued at $1,468,864. 3.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ziff Davis

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brave Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Ziff Davis by 11.9% in the first quarter. Brave Asset Management Inc. now owns 470,282 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $19,733,000 after acquiring an additional 50,127 shares in the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Ziff Davis in the fourth quarter valued at $1,297,000. LSV Asset Management raised its position in Ziff Davis by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 907,721 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $31,906,000 after purchasing an additional 135,021 shares in the last quarter. Incline Global Management LLC raised its position in Ziff Davis by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Incline Global Management LLC now owns 401,933 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $14,128,000 after purchasing an additional 30,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC bought a new stake in Ziff Davis during the first quarter worth about $3,050,000. Institutional investors own 99.76% of the company’s stock.

Ziff Davis Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of Ziff Davis stock opened at $53.63 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $46.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Ziff Davis has a 12-month low of $22.45 and a 12-month high of $54.75. The company has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.46 and a beta of 1.08.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.01. Ziff Davis had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 12.17%. The company had revenue of $267.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $264.32 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.14 earnings per share. Ziff Davis’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis.

About Ziff Davis

Ziff Davis, Inc is a digital media and internet company that operates a diverse portfolio of online brands, subscription-based services and performance marketing platforms. The company specializes in technology publishing and digital marketing solutions, offering content, reviews and insights tailored to consumer and enterprise audiences. Ziff Davis’s flagship media properties include PCMag, which provides expert reviews and comparisons of consumer electronics and software, as well as IGN, a leading destination for gaming news, reviews and entertainment coverage.

Founded in 1927 by William B.