Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 3,164,070 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 235% from the previous session’s volume of 943,612 shares.The stock last traded at $4.9950 and had previously closed at $4.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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 note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Liberty Global presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.20.

Liberty Global Stock Up 7.8%

The firm has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.08 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $7.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $7.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.78, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $1.09 billion.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John C. Malone purchased 12,406,463 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.63 per share, for a total transaction of $107,067,775.69. Following the acquisition, the director owned 21,173,018 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $182,723,145.34. The trade was a 141.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Balan Nair purchased 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $8.07 per share, for a total transaction of $161,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,125,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,219,064.73. This represents a 0.64% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 9.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Liberty Global

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP bought a new position in Liberty Global during the 3rd quarter worth $2,110,000. Banco Santander S.A. grew its position in shares of Liberty Global by 899.7% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,093,309 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,228,000 after acquiring an additional 983,944 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Liberty Global during the third quarter worth about $760,000. Oaktree Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 186.4% in the 3rd quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP now owns 6,669,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,293,000 after acquiring an additional 4,341,307 shares during the period. Finally, Fourth Sail Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 22.6% in the 4th quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 2,895,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,602,000 after acquiring an additional 533,221 shares during the period. 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.