WestRock (NYSE:WRK) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

Stock analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of WestRock (NYSE:WRK) in a report issued on Tuesday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

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

WestRock Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:WRK opened at $47.50 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $46.21 and a 200-day moving average of $41.67. The company has a market capitalization of $12.26 billion, a PE ratio of -7.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.55. WestRock has a 52-week low of $26.85 and a 52-week high of $49.67.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other WestRock news, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.77, for a total transaction of $149,695.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 92,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,939,844.09. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of WestRock

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of WestRock during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of WestRock during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position 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 in the last quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new position in shares of WestRock during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position 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 in the last quarter. 83.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About WestRock

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.