Sezzle (NASDAQ:SEZL) Hits New 12-Month High - Here's Why

Sezzle Inc. (NASDAQ:SEZL - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $81.83 and last traded at $74.77, with a volume of 6283468 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $52.75.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, B. Riley reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $62.83 target price (up from $62.00) on shares of Sezzle in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th.

Sezzle Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.40, a current ratio of 2.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.63 and a beta of 8.41. The stock's fifty day moving average is $43.36 and its 200-day moving average is $47.25.

Sezzle (NASDAQ:SEZL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $271.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $73.90 million. Sezzle had a return on equity of 101.18% and a net margin of 25.29%. On average, analysts forecast that Sezzle Inc. will post 9.77 EPS for the current year.

Sezzle declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Monday, March 10th that permits the company to buyback $50.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Paul Paradis sold 18,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 315,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,625,000. This trade represents a 5.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Karen Hartje sold 311,196 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.83, for a total value of $22,353,208.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 154,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,080,926.78. The trade was a 66.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 338,196 shares of company stock valued at $24,439,949 in the last ninety days. 57.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sezzle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Sezzle by 125.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,515 shares of the company's stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 2,512 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Sezzle by 295.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,979 shares of the company's stock valued at $679,000 after acquiring an additional 2,974 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Sezzle by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the company's stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sezzle during the fourth quarter valued at $2,423,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Sezzle by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 2,556 shares of the company's stock valued at $654,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.02% of the company's stock.

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.