Analysts Set Clearwater Paper Corporation (NYSE:CLW) PT at $30.00

Shares of Clearwater Paper Corporation (NYSE:CLW) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.00.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CLW. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Clearwater Paper in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $30.00 price target for the company. TD Securities set a $30.00 price target on Clearwater Paper and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Clearwater Paper in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Clearwater Paper from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Clearwater Paper from $33.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th.

Clearwater Paper Price Performance

CLW opened at $20.54 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $329.46 million, a PE ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.20. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $18.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.21. Clearwater Paper has a 1 year low of $16.44 and a 1 year high of $33.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Clearwater Paper (NYSE:CLW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported ($0.51) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.53) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $399.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.86 million. Clearwater Paper had a net margin of 9.14% and a negative return on equity of 3.65%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Steve M. Bowden sold 8,889 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.14, for a total value of $161,246.46. Following the sale, the vice president owned 68,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,242,880.24. This trade represents a 11.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clearwater Paper

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new position in shares of Clearwater Paper in the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Clearwater Paper by 34.7% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,185 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its position in Clearwater Paper by 2,215.1% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,380 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 3,234 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Clearwater Paper during the 3rd quarter valued at about $114,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Clearwater Paper by 104.9% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 6,838 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Clearwater Paper

Clearwater Paper Corporation is an independent manufacturer of premium tissue and pulp and paperboard products for private-label and commercial customers in North America. The company operates through two core segments: Consumer Products, which produces bathroom tissue, paper towels and other away-from-home tissue products under private-label contracts; and Pulp & Paperboard, which supplies bleached paperboard used in folding cartons, foodservice packaging and specialty paper applications.

The Consumer Products segment services retail grocers, warehouse clubs, online merchants and janitorial distributors, leveraging multiple converting facilities to produce roll and folded tissue items for both household and institutional use.