WisdomTree, Inc. (NYSE:WT) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

WisdomTree, Inc. (NYSE:WT) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 27,965,274 shares, a growth of 25.6% from the January 15th total of 22,264,729 shares. Currently, 21.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,258,138 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.5 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,258,138 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.5 days. Currently, 21.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WT shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of WisdomTree in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Northland Securities set a $20.00 target price on WisdomTree in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of WisdomTree from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of WisdomTree from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $16.75 price objective on shares of WisdomTree in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $17.65.

WisdomTree Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:WT traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $16.56. 2,302,788 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,898,503. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.08 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $14.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.28. WisdomTree has a 1 year low of $7.47 and a 1 year high of $17.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.37.

WisdomTree (NYSE:WT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.06. WisdomTree had a return on equity of 30.24% and a net margin of 22.10%.The firm had revenue of $147.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $142.78 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.17 EPS. WisdomTree’s quarterly revenue was up 33.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that WisdomTree will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

WisdomTree Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 11th. WisdomTree’s payout ratio is currently 16.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider David M. Yates sold 6,820 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.12, for a total value of $75,838.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 152,123 shares in the company, valued at $1,691,607.76. The trade was a 4.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO R Jarrett Lilien sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.01, for a total value of $137,625.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 998,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,995,004.38. This represents a 1.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 9.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its stake in WisdomTree by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 11,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of WisdomTree by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 20,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 778 shares in the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group lifted its stake in shares of WisdomTree by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 12,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of WisdomTree by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 27,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $376,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its position in WisdomTree by 4.2% during the second quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 22,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 927 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.64% of the company’s stock.

WisdomTree Company Profile

WisdomTree Investments, Inc (NYSE: WT) is a U.S.-based asset management firm specializing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and exchange-traded products (ETPs). Founded in 2006 by Jonathan Steinberg and headquartered in New York City, WisdomTree has developed a reputation for pioneering smart-beta and fundamentally weighted indexing approaches. The company designs strategies that seek to enhance returns and reduce volatility by weighting constituents based on dividends, earnings or other financial metrics rather than relying solely on market capitalization.

WisdomTree offers a broad suite of investment products covering equities, fixed income, currencies, commodities and digital assets.