Insider Buying: Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) Director Acquires 12,406,463 Shares of Stock

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ:LILAK) Director John Malone acquired 12,406,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.63 per share, for a total transaction of $107,067,775.69. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 21,173,018 shares in the company, valued at $182,723,145.34. This trade represents a 141.52% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LILAK traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $8.01. 936,585 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 871,221. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.78. Liberty Global PLC has a 12 month low of $4.89 and a 12 month high of $9.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.23 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $8.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.07.

Liberty Global’s stock is scheduled to split on Monday, June 1st. The 11-10 split was recently announced. The newly minted shares will be payable to shareholders after the market closes on Sunday, May 31st.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LILAK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by ($0.15). The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. Liberty Global had a negative return on equity of 43.70% and a negative net margin of 11.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Global

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LILAK. Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global in the 3rd quarter worth about $86,569,000. Oaktree Capital Management LP boosted 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 purchasing an additional 4,341,307 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Liberty Global by 899.7% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,093,309 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,228,000 after purchasing an additional 983,944 shares in the last quarter. Sculptor Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,627,000. Finally, Fourth Sail Capital LP boosted 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 purchasing an additional 533,221 shares in the last quarter. 52.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LILAK. Wall Street Zen lowered Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.20.

Liberty Global Company Profile

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.