Fluent (NASDAQ:FLNT) Trading Down 4.2% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Shares fell 4.2% to $3.44 on Monday with volume slightly above average, trading near the consensus target of $3.50 after Canaccord raised its target to $3.50 and kept a "hold" rating.
• Fluent reported Q results that missed estimates—EPS of ($0.09) vs. ($0.04) expected—and showed a negative net margin (13.01%) and negative ROE (119.04%), with analysts forecasting -$0.48 EPS for the year.
• Insiders increased holdings, including purchases by Global Value Investment Corp. and a director (each buying 65,148 shares at $3.47), bringing insider ownership to about 23% after recent buys totaling 164,835 shares.

Fluent, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNT - Get Free Report) shares traded down 4.2% on Monday . The company traded as low as $3.36 and last traded at $3.44. 30,349 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 11% from the average session volume of 27,433 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.59.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Fluent from $2.50 to $3.50 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $3.50.

Fluent Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $102.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.16 and a beta of 1.02. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $3.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Fluent (NASDAQ:FLNT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 9th. The company reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.05). Fluent had a negative net margin of 13.01% and a negative return on equity of 119.04%. The company had revenue of $61.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.85 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Fluent, Inc. will post -0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Fluent

In other Fluent news, major shareholder Global Value Investment Corp. purchased 65,148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $3.47 per share, with a total value of $226,063.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,089,676 shares in the company, valued at $10,721,175.72. The trade was a 2.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James Geygan purchased 65,148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $3.47 per share, for a total transaction of $226,063.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,040,655 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,551,072.85. This trade represents a 2.19% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 164,835 shares of company stock worth $572,666. 23.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fluent

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Millennium Management LLC bought a new position in Fluent during the fourth quarter worth about $84,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP increased its position in Fluent by 65.3% during the third quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 39,947 shares of the company's stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 15,777 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Fluent by 44.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 144,713 shares of the company's stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 44,684 shares during the period. Finally, Mink Brook Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Fluent during the third quarter worth about $634,000. 23.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Fluent Company Profile

Fluent, Inc is a performance marketing and customer acquisition platform that helps consumer brands drive leads and sales through data-driven digital campaigns. The company specializes in direct-response marketing, executing campaigns across multiple channels including email, display, paid search, social media and native advertising. By focusing on measurable outcomes such as cost per acquisition and return on ad spend, Fluent tailors solutions to meet the specific objectives of its clients.

The company's proprietary technology leverages first-party data sourced from its network of consumer-facing digital properties and programmatic partnerships.

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