Liquidity Services (NASDAQ:LQDT) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Liquidity Services (NASDAQ:LQDT) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

LQDT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Liquidity Services in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Craig Hallum lifted their price target on shares of Liquidity Services from $28.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th.

Liquidity Services Trading Down 0.3 %

LQDT opened at $35.46 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $33.98 and a 200 day moving average of $26.84. Liquidity Services has a 12 month low of $16.79 and a 12 month high of $39.72. The firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.28 and a beta of 1.36.

Liquidity Services (NASDAQ:LQDT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The business services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.06. Liquidity Services had a net margin of 6.37% and a return on equity of 20.94%.

Insider Activity at Liquidity Services

In other news, Director Jaime Mateus-Tique sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.22, for a total transaction of $1,661,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 103,660 shares in the company, valued at $3,443,585.20. This trade represents a 32.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Jorge Celaya sold 16,540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.10, for a total transaction of $564,014.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 33,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,146,032.80. This trade represents a 32.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 157,388 shares of company stock valued at $5,263,991 in the last three months. 28.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liquidity Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LQDT. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Liquidity Services by 651.4% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 798,688 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,790,000 after purchasing an additional 692,390 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Liquidity Services by 826.0% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 196,366 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,341,000 after acquiring an additional 175,161 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Liquidity Services by 57.9% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 457,351 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $14,768,000 after acquiring an additional 167,767 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in Liquidity Services by 561.2% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 141,649 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,574,000 after acquiring an additional 120,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Liquidity Services in the fourth quarter valued at $3,477,000. 71.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Liquidity Services

Liquidity Services, Inc provides e-commerce marketplaces, self-directed auction listing tools, and value-added services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: GovDeals, Retail Supply Chain Group (RSCG), Capital Assets Group (CAG), and Machinio. Its marketplaces include liquidation.com that enable corporations to sell surplus and salvage consumer goods and retail capital assets; GovDeals marketplace, which provides self-directed service solutions in which sellers list their own assets that enables local and state government entities, and commercial businesses located in the United States and Canada to sell surplus and salvage assets; and AllSurplus, a centralized marketplace that connects global buyer base with assets from across the network of marketplaces in a single destination.