Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Liberty Energy Inc. (NYSE:LBRT) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $14.77 and last traded at $14.58, with a volume of 76827 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $15.17.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Liberty Energy from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Liberty Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Liberty Energy from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Liberty Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, January 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Liberty Energy from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.30.

Liberty Energy Trading Down 4.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.76 and a beta of 1.58.

Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.06). Liberty Energy had a net margin of 7.32% and a return on equity of 14.28%. On average, analysts predict that Liberty Energy Inc. will post 0.58 EPS for the current year.

Liberty Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Liberty Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.11%.

Insider Transactions at Liberty Energy

In related news, CEO Christopher A. Wright sold 2,936 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.16, for a total value of $56,253.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,543,877 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,740,683.32. This trade represents a 0.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Stock sold 20,000 shares of Liberty Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.82, for a total value of $416,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 680,207 shares in the company, valued at $14,161,909.74. The trade was a 2.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 42,936 shares of company stock worth $864,604. 3.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Alpha Wealth Funds LLC bought a new stake in Liberty Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $728,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Liberty Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $3,365,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Liberty Energy by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 338,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,739,000 after acquiring an additional 17,440 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Liberty Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $312,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of Liberty Energy by 1,081.4% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 316,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,287,000 after purchasing an additional 289,320 shares during the period. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Liberty Energy

Liberty Energy Inc provides hydraulic services and related technologies to onshore oil and natural gas exploration, and production companies in North America. The company offers hydraulic fracturing services, including complementary services, such as wireline services, proppant delivery solutions, field gas processing and treating, compressed natural gas (CNG) delivery, data analytics, related goods comprising sand mine operations, and technologies; and well site fueling and logistics.