Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) CEO Vivek Shah Sells 2,650 Shares of Company Stock

Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) CEO Vivek Shah sold 2,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.67, for a total transaction of $134,275.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 357,632 shares in the company, valued at $18,121,213.44. This represents a 0.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ziff Davis Stock Performance

Shares of ZD stock traded down $0.20 on Friday, reaching $51.49. The stock had a trading volume of 371,711 shares, compared to its average volume of 510,394. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $55.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.10. Ziff Davis, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.45 and a 12 month high of $60.48.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The technology company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $289.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $295.31 million. Ziff Davis had a return on equity of 9.10% and a net margin of 49.46%. Ziff Davis’s quarterly revenue was down 20.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.76 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Ziff Davis, Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Ziff Davis during the second quarter worth approximately $187,893,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Ziff Davis during the second quarter worth approximately $94,314,000. Pale Fire Capital SE grew its position in Ziff Davis by 130.0% during the first quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE now owns 2,783,366 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $116,790,000 after buying an additional 1,573,414 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Ziff Davis by 689.6% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 974,591 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $40,894,000 after buying an additional 851,163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rice Hall James & Associates LLC bought a new position in Ziff Davis during the 2nd quarter worth $43,022,000. Institutional investors own 99.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ziff Davis from $30.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Ziff Davis from $48.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of Ziff Davis in a report on Monday, August 10th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Ziff Davis from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ziff Davis from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, November 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ziff Davis has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.33.

Ziff Davis Company Profile

Ziff Davis, Inc. is a digital media and internet company that operates a portfolio of websites, apps and online services. Its brands cover technology and shopping, gaming and entertainment, health and wellness, connectivity, and cybersecurity and marketing technology. They include PCMag, IGN, Mashable, Everyday Health and Ookla, whose services include Speedtest and Downdetector. The company serves consumers and businesses in the United States and international markets. Its activities include publishing editorial content, providing internet and software services, and offering digital advertising and marketing solutions.