The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Takes Position in Sezzle Inc. (NASDAQ:SEZL)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in Sezzle Inc. (NASDAQ:SEZL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $311,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Sezzle by 792.3% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 79,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,460,000 after buying an additional 71,019 shares in the last quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sezzle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,368,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Sezzle by 1,733.1% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 12,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 11,768 shares during the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC boosted its holdings in Sezzle by 220.5% in the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 17,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,349,000 after purchasing an additional 11,696 shares during the period. Finally, Calamos Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sezzle during the fourth quarter valued at $2,423,000. 2.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity at Sezzle

In related news, CFO Karen Hartje sold 311,196 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 154,266 shares in the company, valued at $11,080,926.78. This trade represents a 66.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Amin Sabzivand sold 9,000 shares of Sezzle stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.86, for a total value of $736,740.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 277,074 shares in the company, valued at $22,681,277.64. The trade was a 3.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 426,396 shares of company stock worth $32,422,491 in the last ninety days. 57.65% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sezzle Stock Up 4.1%

NASDAQ:SEZL opened at $93.79 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.19 billion, a PE ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 8.41. Sezzle Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.76 and a 52 week high of $95.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.40, a quick ratio of 2.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $47.72 and a 200-day moving average of $48.69.

Sezzle (NASDAQ:SEZL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.22. Sezzle had a return on equity of 101.18% and a net margin of 25.29%. The firm had revenue of $271.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $73.90 million. Analysts predict that Sezzle Inc. will post 9.77 EPS for the current year.

Sezzle announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, March 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Sezzle 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.