Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday. The company traded as high as $9.26 and last traded at $9.0210, with a volume of 116,963 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $8.91.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on LILAK shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Liberty Global from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $9.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $9.00.

Liberty Global Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.51 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a fifty day moving average of $8.43 and a 200 day moving average of $8.05.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.42) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.41). The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 8.50% and a negative net margin of 3.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Liberty Global news, Director Charles H. R. Bracken sold 42,975 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.57, for a total transaction of $368,295.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Angoitia Alfonso De purchased 313,104 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $20.95 per share, with a total value of $6,559,528.80. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 476,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,976,180.50. This trade represents a 191.99% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought 867,111 shares of company stock valued at $14,427,245 over the last quarter. Insiders own 9.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rubric Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Liberty Global by 44.5% during the first quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 15,395,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,788,000 after buying an additional 4,738,495 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 1.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 9,687,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,439,000 after buying an additional 129,952 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 26.7% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 467,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,124,000 after buying an additional 98,507 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 383.8% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 111,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 88,248 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Liberty Global by 9.8% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 744,252 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,564,000 after acquiring an additional 66,209 shares in the last quarter. 52.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Liberty Global Company Profile

NASDAQ:LILAK represents Class C ordinary shares of Liberty Latin America Ltd., not Liberty Global Ltd. Liberty Latin America is a telecommunications company serving customers across Latin America and the Caribbean. Its operations include broadband internet, mobile and fixed-line voice services, pay television, and business communications services.

The company provides connectivity and entertainment products to residential customers and offers data, voice, managed services, and information-technology solutions to businesses and government organizations.