Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Stake in Advantage Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:ADV)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Advantage Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:ADV) by 2.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,228,477 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 205,992 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 2.52% of Advantage Solutions worth $23,369,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Advantage Solutions by 13.5% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 25,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 3,040 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Advantage Solutions by 45.1% during the 2nd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 12,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 3,731 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Advantage Solutions by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 40,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 3,911 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Advantage Solutions by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 98,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,000 after purchasing an additional 5,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Advantage Solutions by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 280,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,000 after purchasing an additional 5,373 shares in the last quarter. 49.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advantage Solutions Stock Down 2.5 %

NASDAQ:ADV opened at $4.22 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.10 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 1.87. Advantage Solutions Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1.13 and a fifty-two week high of $4.95. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $4.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.44.

Advantage Solutions (NASDAQ:ADV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by ($0.08). Advantage Solutions had a negative return on equity of 4.51% and a negative net margin of 1.35%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Analysts predict that Advantage Solutions Inc. will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, TheStreet upgraded shares of Advantage Solutions from a “d” rating to a “c-” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3.43.

Insider Transactions at Advantage Solutions

In related news, COO Jack Anthony Pestello purchased 10,000 shares of Advantage Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $3.87 per share, for a total transaction of $38,700.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief operating officer now directly owns 146,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $566,099.73. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.50% of the company’s stock.

About Advantage Solutions

Advantage Solutions Inc provides business solutions to consumer goods manufacturers and retailers in North America and internationally. It operates in two segments, Sales and Marketing. The Sales segment offers brand-centric services, such as headquarter relationship management; analytics, insights, and intelligence; and brand-centric merchandising services.