Morgan Stanley Lowers Advantage Solutions (NASDAQ:ADV) Price Target to $34.00

Advantage Solutions (NASDAQ:ADV) had its target price lowered by Morgan Stanley from $35.00 to $34.00 in a research report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 20.70% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Advantage Solutions in a report on Monday. Zacks Research raised Advantage Solutions from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on Advantage Solutions from $37.50 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Advantage Solutions has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.00.

Advantage Solutions Stock Up 11.2%

Shares of Advantage Solutions stock opened at $28.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.95. The stock has a market cap of $374.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.32 and a beta of 2.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $38.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.82. Advantage Solutions has a 1 year low of $12.23 and a 1 year high of $53.63.

Advantage Solutions (NASDAQ:ADV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($4.85) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.43) by ($4.42). Advantage Solutions had a negative net margin of 7.65% and a negative return on equity of 48.15%. The business had revenue of $889.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $887.30 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Advantage Solutions will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Advantage Solutions news, CEO David A. Peacock acquired 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $34.60 per share, for a total transaction of $27,680.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 216,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,486,194.40. This trade represents a 0.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advantage Solutions

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Advantage Solutions by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,187 shares of the company’s stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 887 shares during the period. Creative Planning purchased a new position in shares of Advantage Solutions in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Advantage Solutions during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Advantage Solutions during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Advantage Solutions in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 49.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Advantage Solutions

Advantage Solutions is a leading sales and marketing agency that provides outsourced solutions to consumer packaged goods companies. The firm’s offerings include field sales execution, retail merchandising, in-store and shopper marketing, e-commerce activation and data-driven analytics. By deploying dedicated sales teams alongside proprietary technology, Advantage Solutions helps brands optimize shelf placement, ensure compliance with promotional programs and strengthen consumer engagement.

The company’s service portfolio spans field sales and marketing, retail execution, brand ambassador programs, digital and experiential promotions, and shopper insights.