Emerald (NYSE:EEX) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Rosenblatt Securities

Emerald (NYSE:EEX) was downgraded by equities researchers at Rosenblatt Securities from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on EEX. Maxim Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Emerald in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Emerald in a report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Emerald has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $5.03.

Emerald Stock Performance

Shares of EEX opened at $5.00 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $988.56 million, a PE ratio of -26.29 and a beta of 0.55. Emerald has a one year low of $3.32 and a one year high of $5.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $4.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.46.

Emerald (NYSE:EEX) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $155.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $155.40 million. Emerald had a negative return on equity of 10.60% and a negative net margin of 8.24%.

Institutional Trading of Emerald

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MSD Partners L.P. increased its position in shares of Emerald by 31.3% during the fourth quarter. MSD Partners L.P. now owns 1,400,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,260,000 after purchasing an additional 333,701 shares during the period. Contrarian Capital Management L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Emerald by 12.1% during the third quarter. Contrarian Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 879,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,474,000 after purchasing an additional 95,138 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Emerald by 197.6% during the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 92,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 61,273 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of Emerald by 239.7% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 82,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 57,886 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Emerald during the first quarter valued at approximately $116,000. 14.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Emerald News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Emerald this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Emerald agreed to be acquired by Apollo-managed funds in a cash deal valued at about $1.5 billion, with shareholders expected to receive $5.03 per share. That takeover premium has been the main catalyst supporting the stock. Emerald Expositions to Be Acquired by Apollo Funds
• Positive Sentiment: The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.015 per share, which may appeal to income-focused investors while the transaction is pending.
• Neutral Sentiment: Emerald reported quarterly revenue of $155.4 million, above expectations, but EPS of $0.04 missed the $0.11 consensus. The mixed results do not materially change the M&A-driven narrative. EEX earnings snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a neutral rating but cut its price target to $5.03 from $7.70, implying only a small upside from the current trading level.
• Negative Sentiment: Maxim Group reiterated a hold rating and another report called the stock a downgrade, reinforcing the view that limited near-term upside remains after the deal announcement.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple shareholder-investigation notices have emerged questioning whether the Apollo deal offers a fair price, which could create legal overhang and investor caution.

Emerald Company Profile

Emerald (NYSE: EEX) is a global provider of independent data, news and analytics for commodity, financial and energy markets. The company operates digital platforms that deliver real-time and historical price assessments, market commentary, research reports and risk-management tools. Its subscriber base spans traders, asset managers, corporate hedgers and financial institutions seeking timely intelligence to support trading, risk management and investment decisions.

Serving clients across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Emerald covers a broad range of markets including metals, energy products, agriculture, freight, environmental emissions and treasury benchmarks.