Zacks Research Downgrades Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) to Hold

Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on LBRT. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Liberty Energy in a research note on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Liberty Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Liberty Energy in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of Liberty Energy in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 target price on Liberty Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Liberty Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.09.

Liberty Energy Stock Performance

LBRT opened at $25.22 on Tuesday. Liberty Energy has a 1 year low of $9.90 and a 1 year high of $34.48. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.21. The company has a market capitalization of $4.12 billion, a PE ratio of 27.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 1.97.

Liberty Energy (NYSE:LBRT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.01. Liberty Energy had a net margin of 3.71% and a return on equity of 1.41%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.12 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Liberty Energy will post 0.28 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michael Stock sold 19,998 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total value of $669,533.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 800,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,796,555. This represents a 2.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman William F. Kimble sold 7,350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.92, for a total transaction of $249,312.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 89,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,046,185.60. This trade represents a 7.57% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 54,012 shares of company stock valued at $1,673,803 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liberty Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in Liberty Energy by 79.6% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Liberty Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in Liberty Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Liberty Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Liberty Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Liberty Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Liberty Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Liberty Energy reported second-quarter earnings of $0.09 per share, ahead of consensus estimates, and revenue rose 14% year over year to $1.2 billion. The company also highlighted $43 million in net income and announced a cash dividend distribution to shareholders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Liberty Energy and PowerBridge formed a strategic joint venture to support powered data center campus development, a move that expands the company’s exposure to growing energy demand tied to AI and digital infrastructure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock saw unusually high call option activity, which signals heightened trader interest but does not clearly point to a fundamental change in the business outlook. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Liberty Energy from “strong-buy” to “hold,” which may temper some of the enthusiasm following the earnings beat. Article Title

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. As of as of December 31, 2023, the company owned and operated a fleet of approximately 40 active hydraulic fracturing; and two sand mines in the Permian Basin.