Liberty Global plc (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Short Interest Update

Liberty Global plc (NASDAQ:LBTYA – Get Rating) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 5,500,000 shares, a growth of 6.0% from the February 13th total of 5,190,000 shares. Approximately 3.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,510,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

NASDAQ LBTYA opened at $18.48 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.61. Liberty Global has a 1-year low of $15.22 and a 1-year high of $26.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.14.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Benchmark decreased their target price on shares of Liberty Global from $45.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 14th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Liberty Global from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Liberty Global from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $31.60 to $23.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 12th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Liberty Global from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Liberty Global from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Bryan H. Hall sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.76, for a total transaction of $103,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 133,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,763,882.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 40.0% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 520 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Liberty Global by 272.3% in the 4th quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 2,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,770 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position in Liberty Global by 387.7% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 3,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 2,489 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Liberty Global by 67.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Liberty Global in the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. 31.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Liberty Global Company Profile

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Liberty Global Plc operates as an international converged fixed and mobile communications company, which engages in the provision of connectivity and entertainment and connectivity services. It operates through the following geographical segments: Switzerland, Belgium, U.K., Ireland, and Central and Other.