Advantage Solutions (NASDAQ:ADV) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Shares of Advantage Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:ADV) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $36.06, but opened at $38.78. Advantage Solutions shares last traded at $39.7150, with a volume of 2,685 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ADV has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $18.75 price target on shares of Advantage Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded Advantage Solutions from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on Advantage Solutions from $37.50 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen cut Advantage Solutions from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Advantage Solutions from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Advantage Solutions has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $34.38.

Advantage Solutions Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $32.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $532.52 million, a P/E ratio of -2.12 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Advantage Solutions

In related news, CEO David A. Peacock purchased 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $34.60 per share, for a total transaction of $27,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 216,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,486,194.40. This represents a 0.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 9.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advantage Solutions

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stoic Point Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Advantage Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,375,000. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Advantage Solutions by 87.3% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 554,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 258,379 shares during the last quarter. CastleKnight Management LP increased its position in shares of Advantage Solutions by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. CastleKnight Management LP now owns 11,794,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,380,000 after purchasing an additional 1,806,891 shares during the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Advantage Solutions by 285.1% in the fourth quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 88,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 65,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its position in shares of Advantage Solutions by 760.9% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 175,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 155,151 shares during the last quarter. 49.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Advantage Solutions Company Profile

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.