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

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of WestRock (NYSE:WRK) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on WRK. Truist Financial increased their target price on WestRock from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $45.00 target price (up previously from $42.00) on shares of WestRock in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Seaport Res Ptn cut WestRock from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $42.00 target price on shares of WestRock in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $43.00.

WestRock Stock Performance

Shares of WRK opened at $47.10 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $46.84 and a 200 day moving average of $42.08. WestRock has a one year low of $26.85 and a one year high of $49.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.01, a PEG ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.10.

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) last released 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). WestRock had a negative net margin of 8.58% and a positive return on equity of 6.87%. The company had revenue of $4.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that WestRock will post 1.93 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at WestRock

In other WestRock news, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now owns 92,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,939,844.09. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WestRock

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of WestRock during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of WestRock during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted 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 acquiring an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its stake in shares of WestRock by 198.5% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the last quarter. 83.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.