Savant Capital LLC Increases Holdings in WestRock (NYSE:WRK)

Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of WestRock (NYSE:WRK) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 496,847 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,084 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC owned approximately 0.19% of WestRock worth $20,629,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in WestRock by 14.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 1,174 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in WestRock in the 4th quarter worth about $4,584,000. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in WestRock by 70.4% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,825,189 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $65,342,000 after acquiring an additional 753,828 shares during the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its holdings in WestRock by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 600,682 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,940,000 after acquiring an additional 165,120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, abrdn plc increased its holdings in WestRock by 64.5% in the 4th quarter. abrdn plc now owns 111,954 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,648,000 after acquiring an additional 43,910 shares during the last quarter. 83.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WestRock Price Performance

Shares of WRK traded down $0.56 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $47.98. 1,700,770 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,105,959. The stock has a market cap of $12.39 billion, a PE ratio of -7.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 1.10. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.46. WestRock has a 12 month low of $26.85 and a 12 month high of $49.67.

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) last released its 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). The firm had revenue of $4.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. WestRock had a positive return on equity of 6.87% and a negative net margin of 8.58%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS. Equities analysts expect that WestRock will post 1.93 EPS for the current year.

WestRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be given a $0.3025 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 13th. This represents a $1.21 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. WestRock’s payout ratio is -18.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 92,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,939,844.09. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Seaport Res Ptn lowered WestRock from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on WestRock from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $42.00 target price on shares of WestRock in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $45.00 target price (up previously from $42.00) on shares of WestRock in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on WestRock in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, WestRock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $43.00.

About WestRock

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.