WestRock (WRK) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) is set to issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, May 2nd. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.25 per share for the quarter.

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.15). The business 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect WestRock to post $2 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

WestRock Stock Up 0.8 %

WestRock stock opened at $47.49 on Thursday. WestRock has a 1-year low of $26.85 and a 1-year high of $49.67. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $46.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.16. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $12.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.07, a PEG ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 1.10.

WestRock Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 9th were paid a $0.3025 dividend. This represents a $1.21 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 8th. WestRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -18.01%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 92,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,939,844.09. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on WRK. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective (up from $42.00) on shares of WestRock in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of WestRock from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Seaport Res Ptn cut WestRock from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on WestRock in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $42.00 target price on shares of WestRock in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, WestRock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $43.00.

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.