Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ) Upgraded at Raymond James Financial

Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Raymond James Financial from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a $36.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James Financial‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 63.35% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on STRZ. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Starz Entertainment in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Citizens Jmp began coverage on shares of Starz Entertainment in a report on Monday, September 14th. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Starz Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research note on Monday, September 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Starz Entertainment has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.71.

Starz Entertainment Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of STRZ traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $22.04. 41,462 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 199,660. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $24.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.55. Starz Entertainment has a twelve month low of $8.40 and a twelve month high of $32.58. The stock has a market cap of $377.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.91 and a beta of 2.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59.

Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported ($2.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.63) by ($0.39). The firm had revenue of $322.40 million for the quarter. Starz Entertainment had a negative return on equity of 34.04% and a negative net margin of 32.52%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Starz Entertainment will post -6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Starz Entertainment news, major shareholder Allen Family Capital, Llc sold 363,786 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.06, for a total value of $7,661,333.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,803,786 shares of company stock worth $44,912,698. Company insiders own 22.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starz Entertainment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STRZ. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Starz Entertainment in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Starz Entertainment in the 2nd quarter valued at about $196,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Starz Entertainment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $184,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Starz Entertainment in the 2nd quarter valued at about $342,000. Finally, Ratan Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Starz Entertainment in the 2nd quarter valued at about $368,000.

About Starz Entertainment

Starz Entertainment Corp. is a media and entertainment company that operates premium subscription television and streaming services. Its offerings include the STARZ premium network, related linear television channels and the STARZ streaming platform, which provides original series, feature films and licensed entertainment content.

The company’s programming has included original dramas, comedies and franchises, as well as a selection of theatrical and television movies. STARZ content is distributed through traditional pay-TV providers, digital platforms and direct-to-consumer subscriptions, with availability varying by market and distribution partner.

Starz was established in 1994 as a premium television service and was acquired by Lionsgate in 2016.