Liquidity Services (NASDAQ:LQDT) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Liquidity Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:LQDT)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $30.63, but opened at $29.96. Liquidity Services shares last traded at $30.19, with a volume of 30,131 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LQDT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of Liquidity Services in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of Liquidity Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Craig Hallum increased their target price on shares of Liquidity Services from $28.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th.

Liquidity Services Stock Up 0.8 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $957.86 million, a PE ratio of 41.15 and a beta of 1.26. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $34.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.72.

Liquidity Services (NASDAQ:LQDT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The business services provider reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.06. Liquidity Services had a net margin of 6.37% and a return on equity of 20.94%.

Insider Activity at Liquidity Services

In related news, Director Jaime Mateus-Tique sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.22, for a total value of $1,661,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 103,660 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,443,585.20. This trade represents a 32.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jorge Celaya sold 16,540 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.10, for a total transaction of $564,014.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,032.80. The trade was a 32.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 170,326 shares of company stock valued at $5,710,365 in the last three months. 28.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liquidity Services

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Liquidity Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Liquidity Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its position in Liquidity Services by 257.6% during the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,788 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 1,288 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Liquidity Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Liquidity Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $132,000. 71.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Liquidity Services Company Profile

Liquidity Services, Inc provides e-commerce marketplaces, self-directed auction listing tools, and value-added services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: GovDeals, Retail Supply Chain Group (RSCG), Capital Assets Group (CAG), and Machinio. Its marketplaces include liquidation.com that enable corporations to sell surplus and salvage consumer goods and retail capital assets; GovDeals marketplace, which provides self-directed service solutions in which sellers list their own assets that enables local and state government entities, and commercial businesses located in the United States and Canada to sell surplus and salvage assets; and AllSurplus, a centralized marketplace that connects global buyer base with assets from across the network of marketplaces in a single destination.