Sapient Capital LLC Purchases New Shares in AppLovin Co. (NASDAQ:APP)

Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in AppLovin Co. (NASDAQ:APP) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,141,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $165,057,000. AppLovin comprises 4.2% of Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of AppLovin by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,099,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $723,245,000 after acquiring an additional 1,411,453 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AppLovin by 4,805.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,402,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,050,000 after buying an additional 1,374,066 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of AppLovin by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,041,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,517,000 after buying an additional 113,932 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AppLovin by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 989,922 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,557,000 after buying an additional 93,618 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Scout Investments Inc. raised its stake in AppLovin by 83.2% in the 3rd quarter. Scout Investments Inc. now owns 923,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,692,000 after acquiring an additional 419,221 shares during the period. 41.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AppLovin Price Performance

Shares of APP opened at $72.47 on Friday. AppLovin Co. has a 52-week low of $16.35 and a 52-week high of $79.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 1.71. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $67.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $50.70. The firm has a market cap of $24.78 billion, a PE ratio of 72.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.85.

AppLovin (NASDAQ:APP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.14. AppLovin had a return on equity of 24.69% and a net margin of 10.84%. The firm had revenue of $953.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.66 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.21) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 35.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AppLovin Co. will post 2.49 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on APP shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on AppLovin from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. UBS Group boosted their price target on AppLovin from $46.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. TheStreet raised AppLovin from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on AppLovin in a research report on Monday, April 15th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on AppLovin from $67.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at AppLovin

In other news, Director Craig Scott Billings sold 5,550 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.33, for a total transaction of $323,731.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $743,065.87. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other AppLovin news, insider Victoria Valenzuela sold 2,890 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.76, for a total value of $166,926.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 546,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,569,305.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Craig Scott Billings sold 5,550 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.33, for a total value of $323,731.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 12,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $743,065.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 61,215 shares of company stock valued at $4,416,815. 12.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AppLovin Profile

AppLovin Corporation engages in building a software-based platform for advertisers to enhance the marketing and monetization of their content in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Software Platform and Apps. The company's software solutions include AppDiscovery, a marketing software solution, which matches advertiser demand with publisher supply through auctions; MAX, an in-app bidding software that optimizes the value of a publisher's advertising inventory by running a real-time competitive auction; Adjust, a measurement and analytics marketing platform that provides marketers with the visibility, insights, and tools needed to grow their apps from early stage to maturity; and Wurl, a connected TV platform, which distributes streaming video for content companies and provides advertising and publishing solutions through its AdPool, ContentDiscovery, and Global FAST Pass products.