Advantage Solutions Inc. $ADV Shares Sold by Levin Capital Strategies L.P.

Key Points

• Levin Capital Strategies cut its stake in Advantage Solutions by 52.8%, selling 100,000 shares in Q4 and leaving 89,560 shares valued at about $79,000.
• Analysts have largely turned negative on ADV, with recent downgrades leaving the consensus rating at "Reduce" and an average target price of $28.13 (one Buy, one Hold, two Sell).
• Meanwhile, large institutions like Vanguard, Millennium and Russell increased their positions, and institutional investors now own roughly 49.82% of the company's stock.

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. lessened its stake in shares of Advantage Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:ADV - Free Report) by 52.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 89,560 shares of the company's stock after selling 100,000 shares during the quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P.'s holdings in Advantage Solutions were worth $79,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Advantage Solutions by 40.7% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,675,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,094,000 after acquiring an additional 773,560 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Advantage Solutions by 71.7% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,973,940 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,020,000 after acquiring an additional 824,239 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Advantage Solutions by 4.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,769,040 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,671,000 after acquiring an additional 68,177 shares during the period. Contrarian Capital Management L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of Advantage Solutions by 5.5% during the third quarter. Contrarian Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 1,700,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,601,000 after acquiring an additional 88,860 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Advantage Solutions by 337.1% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,134,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,736,000 after acquiring an additional 874,881 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.82% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on ADV shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Advantage Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Advantage Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Advantage Solutions from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $18.75 target price on shares of Advantage Solutions in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of Advantage Solutions from $62.50 to $37.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $28.13.

Advantage Solutions Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:ADV opened at $34.27 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $448.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.96 and a beta of 1.85. Advantage Solutions Inc. has a 1-year low of $12.23 and a 1-year high of $53.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.25 and a current ratio of 2.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $22.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.04.

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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