WillScot Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:WSC)

WillScot Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:WSC) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 2,372 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 88% compared to the average volume of 1,262 call options.

Institutional Trading of WillScot

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in WillScot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $757,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in WillScot by 494.6% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 56,917 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,073,000 after buying an additional 47,344 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in WillScot by 27.3% in the 1st quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,870,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,624,000 after buying an additional 1,686,077 shares during the period. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. boosted its position in WillScot by 65.7% in the 4th quarter. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. now owns 108,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,038,000 after buying an additional 42,915 shares during the period. Finally, Clearline Capital LP grew its stake in shares of WillScot by 79.4% in the fourth quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 160,940 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,030,000 after acquiring an additional 71,251 shares in the last quarter. 95.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WillScot Trading Down 0.7%

NASDAQ WSC traded down $0.14 on Thursday, reaching $19.44. The stock had a trading volume of 302,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,320,115. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $24.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.28. WillScot has a 12-month low of $14.91 and a 12-month high of $29.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -51.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.31.

WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $612.15 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $585.43 million. WillScot had a positive return on equity of 21.62% and a negative net margin of 3.00%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.27 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that WillScot will post 1.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WillScot Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 2nd. WillScot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -73.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WSC shares. Wall Street Zen raised WillScot from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $26.00 target price on WillScot in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of WillScot in a report on Monday, August 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of WillScot from $23.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $29.00 price objective on shares of WillScot in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $26.50.

About WillScot

WillScot (NASDAQ: WSC) is a leading North American provider of modular space and portable storage solutions. The company designs, manufactures, leases and sells temporary and permanent modular buildings to serve sectors such as education, healthcare, construction, industrial and government. Its modular space offerings range from single?unit office trailers and classrooms to complex multi?unit configurations tailored to diverse project requirements.

In addition to modular structures, WillScot offers a broad portfolio of portable storage containers and related services, including site logistics, customization, delivery and installation.