Edward Jones Upgrades Alliance Data Systems (ADS) to Buy

Alliance Data Systems (NYSE:ADS) was upgraded by Edward Jones from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on ADS. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Alliance Data Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $310.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $298.00 target price (up from $278.00) on shares of Alliance Data Systems in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “buy” rating and set a $293.00 target price on shares of Alliance Data Systems in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Robert W. Baird reissued a “hold” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Alliance Data Systems in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Finally, Stephens set a $304.00 target price on Alliance Data Systems and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $274.06.

Shares of Alliance Data Systems (ADS) traded up $4.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $256.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 176,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 621,643. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.53. Alliance Data Systems has a 12-month low of $209.00 and a 12-month high of $278.33. The company has a market capitalization of $14,336.56, a P/E ratio of 27.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.79.

Alliance Data Systems (NYSE:ADS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The business services provider reported $6.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $4.72 by $1.38. Alliance Data Systems had a return on equity of 62.95% and a net margin of 7.09%. The firm had revenue of $2.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. equities analysts forecast that Alliance Data Systems will post 17.06 EPS for the current year.

In related news, CFO Charles L. Horn sold 2,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $500,080.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ETF Managers Group LLC purchased a new stake in Alliance Data Systems in the second quarter worth $128,000. WFG Advisors LP grew its stake in Alliance Data Systems by 135.9% in the second quarter. WFG Advisors LP now owns 677 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $174,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. FNY Managed Accounts LLC purchased a new stake in Alliance Data Systems in the fourth quarter worth $190,000. Cubic Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alliance Data Systems in the fourth quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI purchased a new stake in Alliance Data Systems in the fourth quarter worth $265,000. 94.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

TRADEMARK VIOLATION NOTICE: “Edward Jones Upgrades Alliance Data Systems (ADS) to Buy” was first posted by American Market News and is the sole property of of American Market News. If you are viewing this story on another site, it was copied illegally and reposted in violation of international copyright and trademark laws. The correct version of this story can be viewed at https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2018/01/26/edward-jones-upgrades-alliance-data-systems-ads-to-buy.html.

Alliance Data Systems Company Profile

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.