Integral Ad Science (NASDAQ:IAS) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Shares of Integral Ad Science Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:IAS) gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $8.64, but opened at $8.15. Integral Ad Science shares last traded at $8.36, with a volume of 171,981 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IAS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of Integral Ad Science in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley restated a “mixed” rating on shares of Integral Ad Science in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Baird R W cut Integral Ad Science from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Integral Ad Science in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $9.00 price target (down previously from $16.00) on shares of Integral Ad Science in a research report on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Integral Ad Science presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.45.

Integral Ad Science Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.55. The company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.20, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.71 and a quick ratio of 3.71.

Integral Ad Science (NASDAQ:IAS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $153.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $148.83 million. Integral Ad Science had a net margin of 6.39% and a return on equity of 3.47%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.06 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Integral Ad Science Holding Corp. will post 0.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Lisa Utzschneider sold 12,448 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.61, for a total value of $132,073.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 278,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,956,476.50. This represents a 4.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,109 shares of company stock valued at $197,696. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Integral Ad Science

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Integral Ad Science by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 74,874 shares of the company’s stock worth $782,000 after purchasing an additional 6,564 shares during the period. Repertoire Partners LP lifted its position in Integral Ad Science by 83.7% in the 4th quarter. Repertoire Partners LP now owns 284,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,972,000 after buying an additional 129,707 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Integral Ad Science by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 155,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,618,000 after buying an additional 46,395 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Integral Ad Science during the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Integral Ad Science in the fourth quarter worth $132,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.78% of the company’s stock.

Integral Ad Science Company Profile

Integral Ad Science Holding Corp. operates as a digital advertising verification company in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Australia, Japan, India, and the Nordics. The company provides IAS Signal, a cloud-based technology platform that offers return on ad spend needs; and deliver independent measurement and verification of digital advertising across devices, channels, and formats, including desktop, mobile, connected TV, social, display, and video.