Morgan Stanley Raises World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) Price Target to $26.00

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) had its price target upped by Morgan Stanley from $25.00 to $26.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “underweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 5.73% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of World Kinect from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of World Kinect from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $29.50.

World Kinect Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE WKC traded up $0.16 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.58. 248,462 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 874,153. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $23.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.84. World Kinect has a twelve month low of $22.21 and a twelve month high of $29.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.22.

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.44. World Kinect had a negative net margin of 1.53% and a positive return on equity of 8.27%. The business had revenue of $9.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. World Kinect has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.650-2.850 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that World Kinect will post 2.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other World Kinect news, Chairman Michael J. Kasbar sold 23,653 shares of World Kinect stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.18, for a total value of $666,541.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 1,062,797 shares in the company, valued at $29,949,619.46. The trade was a 2.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On World Kinect

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WKC. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in World Kinect by 282.7% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of World Kinect by 52.8% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of World Kinect by 369.3% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 1,662 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of World Kinect during the third quarter worth about $61,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its position in shares of World Kinect by 977.9% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 2,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,386 shares during the last quarter. 97.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

World Kinect Company Profile

World Kinect Energy Services, Inc (NYSE: WKC) is a global energy services company specializing in fuel procurement, supply chain management and risk mitigation solutions. The company offers an integrated platform that facilitates the sourcing, trading and logistics of refined fuels, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energy products. Its services are designed to help industrial, commercial and institutional clients optimize energy costs, comply with environmental regulations and manage price volatility.

In addition to traditional commodity trading and delivery, World Kinect provides a suite of value-added services that include carbon offset and decarbonization strategies, energy efficiency consulting and emissions reporting.