StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on WestRock (NYSE:WRK)

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of WestRock (NYSE:WRK) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $42.00 target price on shares of WestRock in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of WestRock from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of WestRock from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $45.00 price target (up previously from $42.00) on shares of WestRock in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.40.

WestRock Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:WRK opened at $47.23 on Tuesday. WestRock has a twelve month low of $26.85 and a twelve month high of $49.67. The firm has a market cap of $12.19 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.53 and a 200-day moving average of $41.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.15). WestRock had a negative net margin of 8.58% and a positive return on equity of 6.87%. The business had revenue of $4.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that WestRock will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at WestRock

In other WestRock news, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.77, for a total value of $149,695.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 92,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,939,844.09. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of WestRock by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 55,457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,742,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of WestRock by 136.9% during the 1st quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,405 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 1,390 shares during the last quarter. Kwmg LLC increased its stake in shares of WestRock by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 135,236 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,687,000 after purchasing an additional 1,486 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of WestRock by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 45,213 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,236,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of WestRock during the 4th quarter worth $322,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.38% of the company’s stock.

WestRock Company Profile

WestRock Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides fiber-based paper and packaging solutions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Corrugated Packaging, Consumer Packaging, Global Paper, and Distribution. The Corrugated Packaging segment produces containerboards, corrugated sheets, corrugated packaging, and preprinted linerboards to consumer and industrial products manufacturers, and corrugated box manufacturers.