WestRock (NYSE:WRK) Receives New Coverage from Analysts at StockNews.com

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

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $45.00 target price (up previously from $42.00) on shares of WestRock in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of WestRock in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of WestRock from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of WestRock from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.40.

WestRock Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WRK opened at $48.90 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $45.17 and a 200 day moving average of $41.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 1.10. WestRock has a 12-month low of $26.85 and a 12-month high of $49.67.

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.15). WestRock had a positive return on equity of 6.87% and a negative net margin of 8.58%. The firm had revenue of $4.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that WestRock will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at WestRock

In other WestRock news, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.77, for a total value of $149,695.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 92,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,939,844.09. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of WestRock

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in WestRock in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new position in WestRock in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Gyon Technologies Capital Management LP purchased a new position in WestRock in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its stake in WestRock by 1,815.2% in the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 881 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of WestRock by 268.7% during the fourth 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.38% of the company’s stock.

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.