Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Shares Gap Down on Analyst Downgrade

Liberty Global Ltd. (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Friday after Bank of America downgraded the stock from a neutral rating to an underperform rating. The stock had previously closed at $13.86, but opened at $13.43. Bank of America now has a $12.60 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $13.10. Liberty Global shares last traded at $13.43, with a volume of 1,371,962 shares changing hands.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Liberty Global from $38.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Liberty Global from $20.00 to $12.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 25th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Liberty Global in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Liberty Global in a research note on Friday, August 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group downgraded Liberty Global from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $23.00 to $13.00 in a research note on Monday, November 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $18.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Liberty Global

In other news, CFO Charles H. R. Bracken sold 84,103 shares of Liberty Global stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.56, for a total value of $1,224,539.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,312 shares in the company, valued at approximately $776,222.72. The trade was a 61.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 11.51% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ING Groep NV purchased a new position in Liberty Global during the third quarter worth about $12,953,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Liberty Global by 2,799.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,646,088 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,079,000 after acquiring an additional 4,485,823 shares during the last quarter. Scientech Research LLC purchased a new position in shares of Liberty Global during the second quarter worth about $1,390,000. Amalgamated Bank bought a new position in shares of Liberty Global in the second quarter worth approximately $480,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC purchased a new stake in Liberty Global in the second quarter valued at approximately $624,000. Institutional investors own 37.20% of the company's stock.

Liberty Global Trading Down 3.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.32 and a beta of 1.24. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $18.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Liberty Global Company Profile

Liberty Global Ltd., 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 WiFi features, security, anti-virus, firewall, spam protection, smart home services, online storage solutions, and web spaces; and Connect Box that delivers in-home Wi-Fi service.