QuinStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ:QNST) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate QuinStreet “Moderate Buy”: Four of six analysts recommend buying the stock, while two recommend holding it. The average 12-month price target is $22.00, modestly above the reported $20.90 opening price.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: QuinStreet reported earnings of $0.50 per share versus the $0.44 consensus estimate, while revenue of $373.88 million also topped forecasts of $359.95 million.
• Insider selling contrasts with strong institutional ownership: Executives sold approximately $16.4 million of stock over the past 90 days under pre-arranged plans to cover tax obligations. Institutional investors own 97.83% of the company, with BlackRock recently acquiring a stake worth about $160.8 million.

QuinStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ:QNST - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.00.

QNST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Lake Street Capital raised QuinStreet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $21.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of QuinStreet from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of QuinStreet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of QuinStreet in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of QuinStreet from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th.

QuinStreet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:QNST opened at $20.90 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.82 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50-day moving average of $15.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.25. QuinStreet has a fifty-two week low of $10.28 and a fifty-two week high of $22.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.18.

QuinStreet (NASDAQ:QNST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The technology company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.06. QuinStreet had a return on equity of 12.73% and a net margin of 6.28%.The business had revenue of $373.88 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $359.95 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that QuinStreet will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at QuinStreet

In related news, CEO Douglas Valenti sold 751,631 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.50, for a total transaction of $15,408,435.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 996,278 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,423,699. The trade was a 43.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Gregory Wong sold 26,296 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.09, for a total value of $528,286.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 521,883 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,484,629.47. The trade was a 4.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 810,322 shares of company stock valued at $16,360,667 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QNST. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of QuinStreet in the second quarter worth $160,805,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in QuinStreet by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,257,710 shares of the technology company's stock worth $61,183,000 after acquiring an additional 133,468 shares during the period. Private Capital Management LLC raised its stake in QuinStreet by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Capital Management LLC now owns 4,171,946 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $59,951,000 after purchasing an additional 17,690 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in QuinStreet by 21.3% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,682,060 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $26,021,000 after purchasing an additional 295,680 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in QuinStreet by 42.1% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,595,184 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $22,923,000 after purchasing an additional 472,407 shares during the period. 97.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

QuinStreet Company Profile

QuinStreet, Inc operates a technology-based performance marketing platform that connects companies with prospective customers across multiple verticals. The company specializes in data-driven lead generation for financial services, education, insurance, healthcare, and home services firms. By leveraging proprietary targeting algorithms and real-time analytics, QuinStreet manages customized digital marketing campaigns to optimize customer acquisition and retention for its clients.

Through a portfolio of consumer-facing websites and comparison platforms, QuinStreet delivers targeted visitors who are actively researching products and services.

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