Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 9,815,862 shares, a decrease of 29.8% from the February 12th total of 13,985,364 shares. Currently, 3.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,622,237 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,622,237 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days. Currently, 3.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LBTYA. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC lifted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 21,546,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,033,000 after acquiring an additional 309,230 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Liberty Global by 75.0% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,423,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,543,000 after purchasing an additional 5,751,520 shares in the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP raised its stake in Liberty Global by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 10,018,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,268,065 shares during the period. Oaktree Capital Management LP raised its stake in Liberty Global by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP now owns 8,551,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,997,000 after purchasing an additional 339,000 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,310,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,581,000 after purchasing an additional 200,348 shares in the last quarter. 37.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on LBTYA. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Liberty Global from $11.80 to $12.60 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Liberty Global from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Liberty Global presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.40.

Liberty Global Price Performance

Shares of LBTYA traded down $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $12.18. 1,469,644 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,656,584. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The company has a market capitalization of $4.08 billion, a PE ratio of -0.59 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.34. Liberty Global has a one year low of $9.02 and a one year high of $13.52.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported ($8.60) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.46) by ($8.14). The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 58.32% and a negative net margin of 146.30%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Liberty Global will post -1.35 earnings per share for the current year.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global plc operates as a leading international telecommunications and television company, offering a wide array of broadband internet, digital cable television, fixed-line telephony and mobile services. Through its extensive fiber and hybrid-fiber coaxial networks, the company delivers high-speed internet connectivity, video on demand and interactive television platforms to residential and business customers. Its service portfolio includes digital voice, managed Wi-Fi solutions, home security and converged connectivity bundles designed to meet evolving consumer and enterprise demands.

The company’s footprint spans key European markets, including the United Kingdom and Ireland under the Virgin Media brand, the Netherlands through Ziggo, Belgium via Telenet, and operations in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Poland and Luxembourg.