Kennedy Capital Management LLC Boosts Position in Winmark Corporation $WINA

Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Winmark Corporation (NASDAQ:WINA) by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,965 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,928 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Winmark were worth $7,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WINA. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in shares of Winmark in the 1st quarter valued at about $233,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Winmark by 115.0% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,574 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $818,000 after acquiring an additional 1,377 shares in the last quarter. Northstar Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Winmark by 94.1% in the first quarter. Northstar Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,923 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,883,000 after acquiring an additional 2,871 shares during the period. Creative Planning boosted its position in Winmark by 38.2% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 5,227 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,974,000 after purchasing an additional 1,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Winmark by 11.3% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 34,176 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,864,000 after purchasing an additional 3,467 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Winmark from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Winmark Stock Down 0.5%

WINA stock opened at $428.02 on Friday. Winmark Corporation has a 52 week low of $295.79 and a 52 week high of $527.37. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $434.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $427.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.15 and a beta of 0.69.

Winmark (NASDAQ:WINA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The specialty retailer reported $3.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by ($0.20). Winmark had a net margin of 48.84% and a negative return on equity of 103.08%. The company had revenue of $22.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.19 million.

Winmark Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 12th. Winmark’s payout ratio is presently 34.22%.

Insider Activity at Winmark

In related news, Director Lawrence A. Barbetta sold 852 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.02, for a total value of $430,277.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $327,757.98. This represents a 56.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Renae M. Gaudette sold 1,200 shares of Winmark stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.11, for a total transaction of $500,532.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 18,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,866,694.60. This trade represents a 5.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 10.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Winmark Company Profile

Winmark Corporation, a resale company operates as a franchisor for small business in the United States and Canada. The company franchises retail stores concepts that buy, sell and trade merchandise. It also operates middle-market equipment leasing business. In addition, the company buys and sells used clothing and accessories geared toward the teenage and young adult market under Plato’s Closet brand; and operates stores which buys and sells used and new children’s clothing, toys, furniture, equipment, and accessories primarily to parents of children ages infant to 12 years under the Once Upon A Child brand.