StockNews.com Downgrades Sabre (NASDAQ:SABR) to Hold

Sabre (NASDAQ:SABR) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Sabre in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $5.00 target price for the company. Mizuho reduced their price target on Sabre from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Bank of America raised Sabre from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $3.50 to $5.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $4.40.

Sabre Stock Performance

NASDAQ SABR opened at $2.66 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $2.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3.63. Sabre has a 52-week low of $1.81 and a 52-week high of $5.76. The stock has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.68 and a beta of 1.77.

Sabre (NASDAQ:SABR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The information technology services provider reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.15) by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $687.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $707.89 million. On average, analysts predict that Sabre will post -0.21 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Sean E. Menke sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.43, for a total value of $221,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,567,340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,943,316.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sabre

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sabre by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,643,643 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $183,232,000 after buying an additional 1,732,513 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Sabre by 89.6% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,727,334 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $16,400,000 after acquiring an additional 1,761,499 shares during the period. Covenant Partners LLC bought a new stake in Sabre in the 4th quarter valued at $107,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Sabre by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 194,956 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $858,000 after acquiring an additional 21,286 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in Sabre by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 982,307 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,322,000 after acquiring an additional 78,115 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.42% of the company’s stock.

About Sabre

Sabre Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as software and technology company for travel industry in the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and internationally. It operates through two segments: Travel Solutions and Hospitality Solutions. The Travel Solutions segment operates a business-to-business travel marketplace that offers travel content, such as inventory, prices, and availability from a range of travel suppliers, including airlines, hotels, car rental brands, rail carriers, cruise lines, and tour operators with a network of travel buyers comprising online and offline travel agencies, travel management companies, and corporate travel departments.