Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) Trading Up 6.8%

Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) rose 6.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $53.11 and last traded at $52.90. Approximately 80,776 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 296,019 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.52.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Ziff Davis from $77.00 to $76.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Barclays upped their target price on Ziff Davis from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Wedbush lifted their price target on Ziff Davis from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Ziff Davis from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Ziff Davis in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.57.

Ziff Davis Trading Up 0.5 %

The company has a quick ratio of 2.76, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.71 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $59.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.25.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The technology company reported $2.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $389.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $400.71 million. Ziff Davis had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 13.97%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ziff Davis, Inc. will post 6.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ziff Davis news, EVP Jeremy Rossen sold 4,162 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.43, for a total value of $288,967.66. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $504,131.23. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ziff Davis

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in shares of Ziff Davis by 337.5% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 490 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ziff Davis by 362.2% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 513 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new position in Ziff Davis in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Headinvest LLC purchased a new position in Ziff Davis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Ziff Davis by 32.2% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 686 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.76% of the company’s stock.

Ziff Davis Company Profile

Ziff Davis, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media and internet company in the United States and internationally. The company offers PCMag, an online resource for laboratory-based product reviews, technology news, buying guides, and research papers; Mashable for publishing technology and culture content; Spiceworks Ziff Davis provides digital content of IT products and services; retailMeNot, a savings destination platform; Offers.com, a coupon and deals website; and event-based properties, including BlackFriday.com, TheBlackFriday.com, BestBlackFriday.com, and DealsofAmerica.com.