Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $47.25.

A number of research firms have issued reports on ZD. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $61.00 target price on shares of Ziff Davis in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Ziff Davis from $45.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Piper Sandler set a $48.00 price target on shares of Ziff Davis in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Ziff Davis from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Ziff Davis from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th.

Ziff Davis Stock Performance

NASDAQ ZD opened at $52.39 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.36 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Ziff Davis has a 1 year low of $22.45 and a 1 year high of $54.97.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $267.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $264.32 million. Ziff Davis had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 12.17%. The company’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.14 earnings per share.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Bret Richter sold 18,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.88, for a total value of $843,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 29,244 shares in the company, valued at $1,370,958.72. This trade represents a 38.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeremy Rossen sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.00, for a total transaction of $376,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $679,714. This represents a 35.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,422 shares of company stock valued at $1,468,864. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ziff Davis

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its stake in Ziff Davis by 18.6% during the second quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 68,887 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,608,000 after acquiring an additional 10,828 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Ziff Davis by 71.7% in the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,334 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 3,479 shares in the last quarter. Affinity Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ziff Davis during the 2nd quarter worth about $230,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ziff Davis by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 288,785 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $12,117,000 after buying an additional 921 shares during the period. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in Ziff Davis in the first quarter worth approximately $3,489,000. 99.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ziff Davis Company Profile

Ziff Davis, Inc is a digital media and internet company that operates a diverse portfolio of online brands, subscription-based services and performance marketing platforms. The company specializes in technology publishing and digital marketing solutions, offering content, reviews and insights tailored to consumer and enterprise audiences. Ziff Davis’s flagship media properties include PCMag, which provides expert reviews and comparisons of consumer electronics and software, as well as IGN, a leading destination for gaming news, reviews and entertainment coverage.

Founded in 1927 by William B.