Alliance Data Systems (ADS) PT Set at $304.00 by Stephens

Alliance Data Systems (NYSE:ADS) has been given a $304.00 price objective by equities research analysts at Stephens in a report released on Tuesday. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Stephens’ target price indicates a potential upside of 16.89% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on ADS. Credit Suisse Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Alliance Data Systems in a report on Tuesday, September 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Alliance Data Systems in a report on Friday, October 6th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $235.00 price target on shares of Alliance Data Systems in a report on Wednesday, October 18th. SunTrust Banks reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Alliance Data Systems in a report on Friday, October 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $208.00 price target on shares of Alliance Data Systems and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $264.53.

Shares of Alliance Data Systems (NYSE:ADS) traded up $4.74 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $260.07. 682,640 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 641,050. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.53, a current ratio of 2.11 and a quick ratio of 2.09. Alliance Data Systems has a twelve month low of $209.00 and a twelve month high of $266.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $14,370.00, a P/E ratio of 27.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.79.

Alliance Data Systems (NYSE:ADS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The business services provider reported $5.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.80 by $0.55. Alliance Data Systems had a net margin of 7.09% and a return on equity of 62.95%. The business had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.74 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. research analysts expect that Alliance Data Systems will post 17.12 EPS for the current year.

In other news, CFO Charles L. Horn sold 2,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $500,080.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ADS. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Alliance Data Systems by 3,103.0% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,334,850 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $830,376,000 after purchasing an additional 3,230,733 shares during the last quarter. ValueAct Holdings L.P. increased its position in Alliance Data Systems by 507.6% in the second quarter. ValueAct Holdings L.P. now owns 3,287,910 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $644,167,000 after purchasing an additional 2,746,795 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Alliance Data Systems by 137.6% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,527,518 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $422,466,000 after purchasing an additional 884,709 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can bought a new stake in Alliance Data Systems in the second quarter worth $130,349,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Alliance Data Systems by 33.5% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,459,926 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $541,184,000 after purchasing an additional 616,829 shares during the last quarter. 94.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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About Alliance Data Systems

Alliance Data Systems Corporation is a provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions serving consumer-based businesses in a range of industries. The Company offers a portfolio of integrated outsourced marketing solutions, including customer loyalty programs, database marketing services, end-to-end marketing services, analytics and creative services, direct marketing services, and private label and co-brand retail credit card programs.

Analyst Recommendations for Alliance Data Systems (NYSE:ADS)