Short Interest in Criteo S.A. (NASDAQ:CRTO) Decreases By 27.5%

Criteo S.A. (NASDAQ:CRTO - Get Rating) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 855,800 shares, a decline of 27.5% from the November 30th total of 1,180,000 shares. Currently, 1.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 293,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days.

Criteo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CRTO opened at $26.06 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $25.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.16 and a beta of 0.80. Criteo has a one year low of $20.56 and a one year high of $39.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CRTO. Citigroup started coverage on Criteo in a research report on Tuesday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised Criteo from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Criteo from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Criteo from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $36.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Megan Clarken sold 3,645 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.34, for a total transaction of $96,009.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 400,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,550,829.42. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Ryan Damon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.48, for a total transaction of $52,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 142,348 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,769,375.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Megan Clarken sold 3,645 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.34, for a total transaction of $96,009.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 400,563 shares in the company, valued at $10,550,829.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 67,019 shares of company stock valued at $1,749,021. Insiders own 0.89% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Criteo

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James & Associates purchased a new position in Criteo in the first quarter valued at about $644,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in Criteo by 78.3% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 71,541 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,942,000 after purchasing an additional 31,410 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Criteo by 169.6% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,178 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $441,000 after purchasing an additional 10,177 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Criteo by 4.4% in the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 177,598 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $4,838,000 after buying an additional 7,472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prelude Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Criteo by 57.5% during the 1st quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC now owns 78,638 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $2,142,000 after buying an additional 28,718 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.25% of the company's stock.

About Criteo

Criteo SA, a technology company, provides marketing and monetization services on the open Internet in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. The company's Criteo Shopper Graph, which derives clients' proprietary commerce data, such as transaction activity on their digital properties.

Further Reading

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