Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $47.25.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Ziff Davis in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ziff Davis from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ziff Davis from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Ziff Davis from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Ziff Davis from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Bret Richter sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.88, for a total transaction of $843,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 29,244 shares in the company, valued at $1,370,958.72. This represents a 38.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Kirk P. Mcdonald sold 1,075 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.65, for a total value of $50,148.75. Following the transaction, the director owned 13,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,282.20. The trade was a 7.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,422 shares of company stock valued at $1,468,864. Insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ziff Davis

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in shares of Ziff Davis by 17.1% in the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,189 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Ziff Davis by 121.2% during the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 885 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in Ziff Davis by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 41,167 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after buying an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Ziff Davis by 212.2% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 868 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 590 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Ziff Davis by 207.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 906 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 611 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.76% of the company’s stock.

Ziff Davis Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of ZD opened at $53.63 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.46 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.66. Ziff Davis has a 1 year low of $22.45 and a 1 year high of $54.75.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $267.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $264.32 million. Ziff Davis had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 12.17%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.14 earnings per share.

About Ziff Davis

Ziff Davis, Inc is a digital media and internet company that operates a diverse portfolio of online brands, subscription-based services and performance marketing platforms. The company specializes in technology publishing and digital marketing solutions, offering content, reviews and insights tailored to consumer and enterprise audiences. Ziff Davis’s flagship media properties include PCMag, which provides expert reviews and comparisons of consumer electronics and software, as well as IGN, a leading destination for gaming news, reviews and entertainment coverage.

Founded in 1927 by William B.