WestRock (NYSE:WRK) Shares Bought by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of WestRock (NYSE:WRK) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 17,458 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in WestRock were worth $725,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WRK. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in WestRock during the fourth quarter worth about $236,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of WestRock by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 62,066 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,577,000 after purchasing an additional 4,331 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank increased its holdings in shares of WestRock by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 88,287 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,666,000 after purchasing an additional 10,103 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. lifted its stake in shares of WestRock by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 17,010 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $706,000 after purchasing an additional 2,252 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its holdings in WestRock by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 8,547 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $355,000 after buying an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at WestRock

In related news, insider John L. O’neal sold 6,965 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.47, for a total transaction of $358,488.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 60,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,471.77. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other WestRock news, insider John L. O’neal sold 6,965 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.47, for a total value of $358,488.55. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 60,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,471.77. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $3,939,844.09. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 20,165 shares of company stock valued at $1,007,346. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of WestRock from $42.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Seaport Res Ptn cut WestRock from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $42.00 price target on shares of WestRock in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. StockNews.com started coverage on WestRock in a research report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on WestRock from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, WestRock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.60.

WestRock Stock Performance

NYSE WRK opened at $51.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.17. The company has a market cap of $13.29 billion, a PE ratio of 43.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 1.10. WestRock has a 1-year low of $26.85 and a 1-year high of $52.13.

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The basic materials company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $4.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.75 billion. WestRock had a return on equity of 5.85% and a net margin of 1.57%. The firm’s revenue was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that WestRock will post 1.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WestRock Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be given a $0.3025 dividend. This represents a $1.21 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 13th. WestRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.68%.

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.