Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Advantage Solutions (NASDAQ:ADV) Stock Price

Advantage Solutions (NASDAQ:ADV) had its target price decreased by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $35.00 to $34.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 46.93% from the stock’s current price.

ADV has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Advantage Solutions in a research report on Monday. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Advantage Solutions from $37.50 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Advantage Solutions from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Advantage Solutions has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.00.

Advantage Solutions Stock Performance

ADV stock traded down $9.88 during trading on Thursday, reaching $23.14. 140,753 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 88,576. Advantage Solutions has a twelve month low of $12.23 and a twelve month high of $53.63. The company has a market capitalization of $307.65 million, a P/E ratio of -1.22 and a beta of 2.18. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.18.

Advantage Solutions (NASDAQ:ADV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($4.85) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.43) by ($4.42). Advantage Solutions had a negative net margin of 6.78% and a negative return on equity of 37.22%. The firm had revenue of $889.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $887.30 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Advantage Solutions will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Advantage Solutions

In related news, CEO David A. Peacock bought 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $34.60 per share, with a total value of $27,680.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 216,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,486,194.40. This represents a 0.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 9.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Advantage Solutions

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CastleKnight Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Advantage Solutions by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. CastleKnight Management LP now owns 11,794,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,380,000 after purchasing an additional 1,806,891 shares during the last quarter. Stoic Point Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Advantage Solutions during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,375,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Advantage Solutions by 37.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,761,016 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,310,000 after buying an additional 1,024,633 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in Advantage Solutions by 337.1% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,134,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,736,000 after buying an additional 874,881 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Advantage Solutions by 71.7% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,973,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,020,000 after buying an additional 824,239 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.82% of the company’s stock.

About Advantage Solutions

Advantage Solutions is a leading sales and marketing agency that provides outsourced solutions to consumer packaged goods companies. The firm’s offerings include field sales execution, retail merchandising, in-store and shopper marketing, e-commerce activation and data-driven analytics. By deploying dedicated sales teams alongside proprietary technology, Advantage Solutions helps brands optimize shelf placement, ensure compliance with promotional programs and strengthen consumer engagement.

The company’s service portfolio spans field sales and marketing, retail execution, brand ambassador programs, digital and experiential promotions, and shopper insights.