Advantage Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:ADV) Short Interest Down 95.7% in March

Key Points

• Short interest plunged 95.7% — short interest fell to 423,283 shares (about 3.6% of the float) as of March 31 from 9,929,589 on March 15, with a days-to-cover ratio of roughly 5.1 days.
• Analyst sentiment has turned negative, with a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $28.13 after multiple downgrades and target cuts from firms including Zacks, Wall Street Zen, Canaccord and Weiss.
• Shares were trading up 2.9% at $26.58; the company has a market cap of about $346.9M, a negative P/E (-1.52), and roughly 49.8% institutional ownership following several recent stake increases.

Advantage Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:ADV - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 423,283 shares, a decline of 95.7% from the March 15th total of 9,929,589 shares. Currently, 3.6% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 82,718 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.1 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ADV. Zacks Research downgraded Advantage Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $18.75 target price on Advantage Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Advantage Solutions from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on Advantage Solutions from $62.50 to $37.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Advantage Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $28.13.

Advantage Solutions Stock Up 2.9%

NASDAQ ADV traded up $0.75 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $26.58. 79,883 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 46,852. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.00, a current ratio of 2.25 and a quick ratio of 2.25. The company has a market cap of $346.87 million, a PE ratio of -1.52 and a beta of 1.85. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $18.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.81. Advantage Solutions has a 52 week low of $12.23 and a 52 week high of $53.63.

Institutional Trading of Advantage Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Stoic Point Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Advantage Solutions in the 4th quarter worth $1,375,000. Inspire Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Advantage Solutions by 87.3% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 554,271 shares of the company's stock valued at $488,000 after acquiring an additional 258,379 shares in the last quarter. CastleKnight Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Advantage Solutions by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. CastleKnight Management LP now owns 11,794,950 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,380,000 after acquiring an additional 1,806,891 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Advantage Solutions by 285.1% during the fourth quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 88,862 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 65,785 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of Advantage Solutions by 760.9% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 175,542 shares of the company's stock valued at $154,000 after acquiring an additional 155,151 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.82% of the company's stock.

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.

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