WestRock (NYSE:WRK) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of WestRock (NYSE:WRK) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.00.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WRK. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of WestRock in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $45.00 target price (up from $42.00) on shares of WestRock in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of WestRock from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of WestRock from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $42.00 target price on shares of WestRock in a research note on Friday, February 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of WestRock stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.77, for a total value of $149,695.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 hyperlink. 0.49% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WestRock

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of WestRock during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of WestRock by 268.7% in 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 during the period. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of WestRock in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in WestRock by 59.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 862 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the period. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of WestRock by 82.0% during the 1st quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 910 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. 83.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

WestRock Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WRK opened at $46.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.55. The company has a market cap of $12.08 billion, a PE ratio of -6.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 1.10. WestRock has a 52 week low of $26.85 and a 52 week high of $49.67. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.20.

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $4.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. WestRock had a negative net margin of 8.58% and a positive return on equity of 6.87%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that WestRock will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current year.

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.