Sezzle (NASDAQ:SEZL) Shares Up 5% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Sezzle Inc. shares rose by 5% on Friday, reaching a trading high of $152.00 before closing at $147.81, though trading volume decreased significantly to 354,966 shares.
• Wall Street analysts remain optimistic, with Oppenheimer raising its price target from $168.00 to $202.00, while Wall Street Zen downgraded Sezzle from a "strong-buy" to a "buy" rating.
• Recent insider transactions revealed that Sezzle executives sold significant shares, with over 501,000 shares sold in the past three months valued at approximately $43.5 million, indicating potential caution amongst insiders.
• Institutional investor interest is growing, as several firms have significantly increased their positions in Sezzle, reflecting confidence in the company’s growth potential.

Sezzle Inc. (NASDAQ:SEZL - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 5% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $152.00 and last traded at $147.81. 354,966 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 65% from the average session volume of 1,011,307 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.72.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SEZL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Sezzle from $168.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Sezzle from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd.

Sezzle Stock Up 9.1%

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $136.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.62 and a quick ratio of 2.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.11 billion, a PE ratio of 51.86 and a beta of 9.16.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sezzle

In related news, Director Paul Paradis sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.34, for a total transaction of $406,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 254,000 shares in the company, valued at $34,376,360. This represents a 1.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Karen Hartje sold 5,484 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.02, for a total transaction of $921,421.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 126,846 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,312,664.92. The trade was a 4.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 501,092 shares of company stock valued at $43,533,756. 49.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sezzle

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sezzle during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sezzle by 3,575.0% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 147 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sezzle during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Sezzle during the second quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Sezzle by 94.7% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 407 shares of the company's stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. 2.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.