Wall Street Zen Downgrades Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ) to Sell

Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ:STRZ) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on STRZ. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Starz Entertainment from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Starz Entertainment from $13.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Starz Entertainment in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Starz Entertainment in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.33.

Starz Entertainment Stock Performance

Shares of STRZ opened at $24.42 on Friday. Starz Entertainment has a 1 year low of $8.40 and a 1 year high of $32.58. The company has a market cap of $408.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.46 and a beta of 2.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $26.56 and a 200-day moving average of $17.92.

Insider Transactions at Starz Entertainment

In other Starz Entertainment news, insider Scott D. Macdonald purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $20.59 per share, for a total transaction of $102,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 18,757 shares in the company, valued at $386,206.63. The trade was a 36.35% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Alison Hoffman sold 13,661 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total transaction of $292,618.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 94,419 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,022,454.98. This trade represents a 12.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 22.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Starz Entertainment

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in STRZ. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Starz Entertainment by 35.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 90,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,046,000 after purchasing an additional 23,689 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Starz Entertainment during the first quarter valued at approximately $577,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in Starz Entertainment by 4.3% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 72,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $833,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. bought a new stake in Starz Entertainment during the first quarter worth approximately $190,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Starz Entertainment by 11.6% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 40,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $469,000 after buying an additional 4,243 shares during the last quarter.

Starz Entertainment Company Profile

Starz Entertainment (NASDAQ: STRZ) is a global media and entertainment company that operates premium subscription video services across linear television and digital streaming platforms. The company’s core offering includes the STARZ and STARZ ENCORE linear networks in the United States, alongside its STARZPLAY streaming service, which is available in North America, parts of Europe, Latin America and select Asian markets. Through its multi-platform distribution strategy, Starz delivers a combination of original programming, feature films and licensed series to a broad subscriber base.

At the heart of Starz Entertainment’s business is its investment in original content production.