Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) Stock Rated “Hold” by Wall Street Analysts

Shares of Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $60.67.

A number of equities analysts have commented on ZD shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Ziff Davis from $48.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Ziff Davis in a report on Friday, September 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Ziff Davis from $48.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ziff Davis from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, 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.

Ziff Davis Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ ZD opened at $54.79 on Friday. Ziff Davis has a 52-week low of $22.45 and a 52-week high of $60.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16. The business has a fifty day moving average of $56.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.29. The stock has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.11.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $286.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $286.10 million. Ziff Davis had a net margin of 48.57% and a return on equity of 10.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ziff Davis will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Ziff Davis

In other Ziff Davis news, EVP Jeremy Rossen sold 3,819 shares of Ziff Davis stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.93, for a total value of $209,777.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 10,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,619.99. The trade was a 26.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director W. Brian Kretzmer sold 2,513 shares of Ziff Davis stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.31, for a total value of $138,994.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,106,200. The trade was a 11.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 7,732 shares of company stock valued at $425,436 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ziff Davis

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ZD. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ziff Davis in the second quarter valued at approximately $187,893,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in Ziff Davis by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,526,329 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $147,963,000 after purchasing an additional 92,496 shares during the last quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE lifted its holdings in Ziff Davis by 130.0% during the 1st 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. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Ziff Davis during the 2nd quarter worth $94,314,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Ziff Davis by 689.6% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 974,591 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $40,894,000 after buying an additional 851,163 shares during the last quarter. 99.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ziff Davis

Ziff Davis, Inc is a digital media and technology company that operates a portfolio of online brands serving consumers, technology professionals, businesses and advertisers. Its properties cover technology, gaming and entertainment, shopping, health and wellness, and related digital services.

The company’s brands include PCMag, Mashable, IGN, Humble Bundle, RetailMeNot, Spiceworks, Ookla and its Speedtest and Downdetector services, as well as health and wellness publications and platforms operated through its Everyday Health Group.