Liquidity Services (NASDAQ:LQDT) Cut to "Buy" at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Liquidity Services (NASDAQ:LQDT - Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning.

LQDT has been the topic of several other research reports. Craig Hallum increased their price target on shares of Liquidity Services from $28.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of Liquidity Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

Liquidity Services Price Performance

Liquidity Services stock traded down $0.00 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $30.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 126,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 332,770. The company has a market cap of $950.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.83 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $34.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.60. Liquidity Services has a 1-year low of $16.79 and a 1-year high of $39.72.

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Liquidity Services (NASDAQ:LQDT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The business services provider reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.06. Liquidity Services had a return on equity of 20.94% and a net margin of 6.37%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Mark A. Shaffer sold 6,005 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.59, for a total transaction of $213,717.95. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 36,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,284,193.97. This trade represents a 14.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Beatriz V. Infante sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.36, for a total transaction of $176,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 82,990 shares in the company, valued at $2,934,526.40. This represents a 5.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 170,326 shares of company stock valued at $5,710,365 over the last quarter. 28.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Liquidity Services

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LQDT. Access Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Liquidity Services by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Access Investment Management LLC now owns 82,830 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,675,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Liquidity Services by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,849 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Liquidity Services by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,692 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 683 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in Liquidity Services by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 37,332 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,205,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the period. Finally, Willis Investment Counsel grew its stake in Liquidity Services by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 52,320 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,689,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.15% of the company's stock.

Liquidity Services Company Profile

Liquidity Services, Inc provides e-commerce marketplaces, self-directed auction listing tools, and value-added services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: GovDeals, Retail Supply Chain Group (RSCG), Capital Assets Group (CAG), and Machinio. Its marketplaces include liquidation.com that enable corporations to sell surplus and salvage consumer goods and retail capital assets; GovDeals marketplace, which provides self-directed service solutions in which sellers list their own assets that enables local and state government entities, and commercial businesses located in the United States and Canada to sell surplus and salvage assets; and AllSurplus, a centralized marketplace that connects global buyer base with assets from across the network of marketplaces in a single destination.