World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

World Kinect Corporation (NYSE:WKC) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $36.89 and last traded at $36.44, with a volume of 951280 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $35.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WKC shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of World Kinect from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on World Kinect from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Zacks Research cut World Kinect from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded World Kinect from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $29.50.

World Kinect Trading Up 1.4%

The stock has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.57, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $30.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.06.

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $9.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.29 billion. World Kinect had a negative net margin of 1.53% and a positive return on equity of 8.27%. World Kinect’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. World Kinect has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.650-2.850 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that World Kinect Corporation will post 2.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

World Kinect Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.23 dividend. This is an increase from World Kinect’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. World Kinect’s dividend payout ratio is -9.01%.

Insider Activity at World Kinect

In related news, Director Paul H. Stebbins sold 20,828 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.69, for a total value of $576,727.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,669 shares in the company, valued at $1,126,124.61. This trade represents a 33.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Michael J. Kasbar sold 25,000 shares of World Kinect stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.04, for a total value of $876,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 986,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,565,208. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 132,928 shares of company stock valued at $3,983,065. 3.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of World Kinect

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of World Kinect by 373.8% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,602,996 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,598,000 after buying an additional 1,264,684 shares during the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of World Kinect by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 3,845,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,106,000 after buying an additional 907,490 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of World Kinect by 235.1% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 644,941 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,879,000 after buying an additional 452,462 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in World Kinect during the fourth quarter worth about $9,427,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in World Kinect by 119.5% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 702,367 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,226,000 after acquiring an additional 382,340 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.06% of the company’s stock.

About World Kinect

World Kinect Energy Services, Inc (NYSE: WKC) is a global energy services company specializing in fuel procurement, supply chain management and risk mitigation solutions. The company offers an integrated platform that facilitates the sourcing, trading and logistics of refined fuels, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energy products. Its services are designed to help industrial, commercial and institutional clients optimize energy costs, comply with environmental regulations and manage price volatility.

In addition to traditional commodity trading and delivery, World Kinect provides a suite of value-added services that include carbon offset and decarbonization strategies, energy efficiency consulting and emissions reporting.