AlphaQuest LLC Takes Position in Sezzle Inc. $SEZL

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC acquired 36,474 shares of Sezzle Inc. valued at approximately $1.27 million, signaling continued interest from institutional investors in the company's stock.
• Vanguard Group increased its holdings in Sezzle by an impressive 497.6%, now owning over 1 million shares, highlighting the increasing confidence from major funds.
• Despite some analyst upgrades, including a price target increase from B. Riley, Sezzle's stock rating was downgraded to a "hold" by Wall Street Zen, indicating mixed sentiments among analysts.

AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in Sezzle Inc. (NASDAQ:SEZL - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 36,474 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,273,000. AlphaQuest LLC owned about 0.11% of Sezzle as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Sezzle by 518.0% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 38,960 shares of the company's stock worth $1,359,000 after purchasing an additional 32,656 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in shares of Sezzle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $311,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in shares of Sezzle by 937.0% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 15,420 shares of the company's stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 13,933 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sezzle in the first quarter worth approximately $747,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Sezzle by 649.1% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 19,146 shares of the company's stock valued at $668,000 after acquiring an additional 16,590 shares in the last quarter. 2.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sezzle news, CFO Karen Hartje sold 5,484 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.02, for a total transaction of $921,421.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 126,846 shares in the company, valued at $21,312,664.92. This trade represents a 4.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul Paradis sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.62, for a total value of $274,860.00. Following the sale, the director owned 242,000 shares in the company, valued at $22,172,040. The trade was a 1.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 68,696 shares of company stock worth $10,476,922. Corporate insiders own 49.49% of the company's stock.

Sezzle Stock Performance

Shares of Sezzle stock traded down $0.54 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $92.70. The company had a trading volume of 773,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,053,238. Sezzle Inc. has a one year low of $20.70 and a one year high of $186.74. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $89.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 3.51 and a quick ratio of 3.51. The firm has a market cap of $3.15 billion, a PE ratio of 31.76 and a beta of 9.09.

Sezzle (NASDAQ:SEZL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.11. Sezzle had a return on equity of 102.90% and a net margin of 28.13%.The company had revenue of $60.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $93.33 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Sezzle Inc. will post 9.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Sezzle from $168.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Sezzle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th. Finally, B. Riley increased their price objective on Sezzle from $101.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Sezzle currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $124.33.

Sezzle Company Profile

Sezzle Inc operates as a technology-enabled payments company primarily in the United States and Canada. The company provides payment solution in-store and at online retail stores; and through proprietary payments solution that connects consumers with merchants. It also offers Sezzle Platform that provides a payments solution for consumers that extends credit at the point-of-sale allowing consumers to purchase and receive the ordered merchandise at the time of sale while paying in installments over time; Pay-in-Four, which allows consumers to pay a fourth of the purchase price up front and then another fourth of the purchase price every two weeks thereafter over a total of six weeks; Pay-in-Full that allows consumers to pay for the full value of their order up-front through the Sezzle Platform without the extension of credit; and Pay-in-Two and other alternative installment options, which allow consumer to pay half of the value of their order up-front and the second half in two weeks.