WestRock (NYSE:WRK) Now Covered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of WestRock (NYSE:WRK) in a research report released on Tuesday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

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

WestRock Stock Performance

WRK opened at $47.99 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The company has a market cap of $12.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.14, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 1.10. WestRock has a 52-week low of $26.85 and a 52-week high of $49.67. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $46.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.91.

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

WestRock Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a $0.3025 dividend. This represents a $1.21 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 8th. WestRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -18.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of WestRock 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,117 shares in the company, valued at $3,939,844.09. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of WestRock

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in WestRock in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of WestRock during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of WestRock by 268.7% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 789 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the period. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in shares of WestRock during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of WestRock by 59.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 862 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.