Life Time Group (NYSE:LTH) Lowered to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Life Time Group (NYSE:LTH) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

LTH has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Life Time Group from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Life Time Group from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $41.00 price objective on shares of Life Time Group in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Life Time Group in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $37.00 target price on shares of Life Time Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $40.00.

Life Time Group Price Performance

LTH opened at $33.24 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.79. The firm has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.44, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.50. Life Time Group has a twelve month low of $24.14 and a twelve month high of $35.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Life Time Group (NYSE:LTH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.03. Life Time Group had a net margin of 12.56% and a return on equity of 10.10%. The firm had revenue of $788.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $787.65 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.39 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Life Time Group will post 1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Life Time Group

In other news, major shareholder Partners Group Private Equity sold 747,178 shares of Life Time Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.46, for a total value of $23,506,219.88. Following the transaction, the insider owned 2,431,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,485,646.38. The trade was a 23.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John G. Danhakl sold 4,991,749 shares of Life Time Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.46, for a total transaction of $157,040,423.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,242,383 shares in the company, valued at $510,985,369.18. This represents a 23.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 23,100,829 shares of company stock worth $717,806,921. 13.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LTH. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Life Time Group by 140.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 54,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,642,000 after acquiring an additional 31,762 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Life Time Group by 25.2% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 70,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,140,000 after acquiring an additional 14,267 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Life Time Group by 143.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,422,304 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,154,000 after acquiring an additional 1,428,446 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in shares of Life Time Group in the first quarter worth approximately $221,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Life Time Group by 47.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 199,287 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,018,000 after acquiring an additional 64,348 shares in the last quarter. 79.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Life Time Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Life Time Group this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Life Time Group (LTH) from strong-buy to hold, which can pressure sentiment by signaling less upside in the near term. Tickerreport.com article
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders, including directors John Danhakl and John Kristofer Galashan, as well as major shareholder Partners Group Private Equity, disclosed large stock sales. Insider selling often raises concerns about valuation or near-term upside, even when the company’s fundamentals remain solid. InsiderTrades.com article
• Neutral Sentiment: Life Time Group’s recent earnings report was still constructive: EPS of $0.42 beat estimates, revenue rose 11.7% year over year, and results slightly topped expectations. That supports the stock’s longer-term narrative, but the earnings news is older than the latest insider-sale headlines. MarketBeat LTH insider trades page
• Neutral Sentiment: Broker coverage remains mixed but mostly positive overall, with several firms maintaining buy/overweight ratings and a consensus price target near $40. MarketBeat LTH page

Life Time Group Company Profile

Life Time Group (NYSE: LTH) is a premier operator of health, fitness and lifestyle centers across North America. The company’s core business encompasses the development, ownership and management of premium athletic resorts that integrate state-of-the-art fitness facilities, group exercise studios, indoor and outdoor pools, running tracks, and spa and salon services. In addition to its brick-and-mortar clubs, Life Time offers a digital platform featuring on-demand and live-streamed workouts, personalized training programs and nutrition guidance, enabling members to pursue their wellness goals both at home and on the go.

Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota, Life Time has grown from a single Minnesota health club into a network of more than 160 locations across the United States and Canada.