Liberty Global plc (NASDAQ:LBTYA – Get Rating) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,970,000 shares, a growth of 9.9% from the October 31st total of 5,430,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,960,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 3.6% of the company’s stock are sold short.
Insider Buying and Selling at Liberty Global
In related news, EVP Bryan H. Hall sold 7,000 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.10, for a total value of $140,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 136,984 shares in the company, valued at $2,753,378.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Liberty Global news, CAO Jason Waldron sold 8,138 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.14, for a total transaction of $172,037.32. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 103,222 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,182,113.08. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bryan H. Hall sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.10, for a total transaction of $140,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 136,984 shares in the company, valued at $2,753,378.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 158,706 shares of company stock worth $3,172,623 in the last ninety days. 9.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Trading of Liberty Global
Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LBTYA. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Liberty Global by 20.2% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $461,000 after buying an additional 3,043 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Liberty Global during the 1st quarter worth approximately $317,000. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 10.7% during the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 5,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 545 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 230.4% during the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 931,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,771,000 after acquiring an additional 649,798 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 32,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $834,000 after acquiring an additional 2,167 shares in the last quarter. 32.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have commented on LBTYA. Citigroup started coverage on Liberty Global in a research note on Friday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on Liberty Global from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Liberty Global from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $23.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Liberty Global from $32.00 to $29.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.00.
Liberty Global Price Performance
Shares of LBTYA opened at $19.63 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $17.71 and its 200-day moving average is $20.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62. Liberty Global has a one year low of $15.22 and a one year high of $29.08.
About Liberty Global
Liberty Global plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides broadband internet, video, fixed-line telephony, and mobile communications services to residential and business customers. It offers value-added broadband services, such as intelligent WiFi features; security; smart home, online storage solutions, and Web spaces; Connect Box, a set-top or Horizon box that delivers in-home Wi-Fi service; community Wi-Fi via routers in home, which provides access to the internet; and public Wi-Fi access points in train stations, hotels, bars, restaurants, and other public places.
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