Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) Shares Down 1.7% on Insider Selling

by · The Markets Daily

Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROKUGet Free Report)’s stock price dropped 1.7% during trading on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $155.38 and last traded at $155.59. 2,073,208 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 41% from the average daily volume of 3,520,545 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.31.

Specifically, CAO Matthew Banks sold 546 shares of Roku stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $84,979.44. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,122 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,264,108.08. The trade was a 6.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Mustafa Ozgen sold 3,410 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $530,732.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,979,559.16. The trade was a 11.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In other Roku news, insider Charles Collier sold 7,067 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.86, for a total transaction of $1,108,529.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,560,722. This represents a 23.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on ROKU shares. Wedbush lowered Roku from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Susquehanna downgraded Roku from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $160.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Weiss Ratings raised Roku from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Zacks Research upgraded Roku from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, William Blair lowered shares of Roku from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and nineteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $156.17.

View Our Latest Stock Report on ROKU

More Roku News

Here are the key news stories impacting Roku this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Improving earnings outlook: Zacks ranked Roku No. 1, or “Strong Buy,” citing favorable EPS estimate revisions. That view follows Roku’s latest quarterly beat, when revenue reached $1.35 billion and EPS came in at $1.08, ahead of estimates. Bullish EPS Revisions Back IBKR, SNDK, and ROKU
  • Positive Sentiment: Technical momentum: ROKU recently moved above its 20-day moving average, a signal that short-term buying momentum and investor support have improved. Roku Just Overtook the 20-Day Moving Average
  • Positive Sentiment: Premium hardware expansion: Roku introduced Pro Series OLED televisions starting at $999. The launch could strengthen Roku’s position in higher-end connected TVs and provide more opportunities to monetize its platform and advertising ecosystem. Roku’s $999 OLED Could Change How TV Makers Make Money
  • Neutral Sentiment: Platform and product activity: Pluto TV launched a major update on Roku devices, while the Roku Streaming Stick Plus returned to its former Amazon price. These developments could support engagement and hardware demand, although their near-term financial impact is uncertain. Pluto TV Update on Roku Devices
  • Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Roku executives and directors sold approximately 20,846 shares worth $3.25 million. Most sales were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, with several covering taxes on vested equity awards, reducing their bearish significance. Still, the volume of selling could modestly pressure sentiment. Roku Insider Selling

Roku Trading Down 1.7%

The company has a market cap of $23.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.49 and a beta of 2.05. The company’s fifty day moving average is $148.16 and its 200 day moving average is $124.48.

Roku (NASDAQ:ROKUGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.47. Roku had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 13.73%. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.07 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Roku, Inc. will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Roku

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ROKU. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Roku by 18.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new position in shares of Roku in the first quarter worth approximately $229,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Roku by 145.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 826 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Roku by 231.0% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 70,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,221,000 after buying an additional 49,399 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Roku during the 2nd quarter valued at $326,000. 86.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Roku

(Get Free Report)

Roku, Inc (NASDAQ: ROKU) is a technology company that develops and operates a proprietary streaming platform designed to deliver entertainment content to consumers via internet-connected devices and smart televisions. Since its inception in 2002 in California, Roku has focused on simplifying access to streaming services for viewers worldwide. The company’s platform enables users to discover, access and manage a wide array of over-the-top content from major streaming services, free ad-supported channels and niche providers.

At the core of Roku’s product lineup are a range of streaming players and sticks, which connect to televisions via HDMI and deliver the Roku OS experience.

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