The stock of WestRock Company (NYSE:WRK) increased by $0.35 on Tuesday to finish at $36.89, up 0.96 percent. The last five days have seen an average of 6,223,960 shares of common stock traded. 7 times new highs were reached in the current year, with a gain of $1.73. The average number of shares traded over the last 20 days was 4,122,745, while the average volume over the last 50 days totaled 3,085,310.
WRK stock appreciated 14.89% since last month. On 08/21/23, the company’s shares reached a one-month low of $31.24. The stock touched a high of $39.30 on 01/31/23, after rallying from a low of $26.84 in 52 weeks. The price of WRK stock has risen by 4.92% or $1.73 this year, reaching a new high 7 times. Still, the stock price is down -6.13% from the 52-week high.
Insider Transactions
WRK stock investors should be aware that WestRock Company (WRK) stock had its last reported insider trading activity 189 days ago on Mar 15. On Mar 15, President, Corrugated Pkg Kivits Patrick M. sold 4,000 shares at $27.38 each. This transaction resulted in the insider making $109,520. On Dec 12, RUSSELL CURREY M sold 55,000 shares at a price of US$36.51. After the transaction, the insider now owns 245,271 shares.
Valuation Metrics
Beta for the stock is 1.20. There are also a few other valuation ratios worth considering, including the trailing price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 0.46, the price-to-book (PB) ratio of 0.94, and the price-to-cash flow ratio of 14.42.
Company paid $0.2750 per share in dividends, remained unchanged from $0.2750 last year. A $0.0250 dividend increase was reported on Thursday October 27 2022.
Financial Health
For the recent quarter, WestRock Company’s quick ratio was 1.00, while its current ratio was 1.50, indicating its ability to pay off its debt. The company’s long-term debt to equity ratio for the recent quarter is 0.86, and the total debt to equity ratio is 0.90. As far as profitability goes, gross margin for the trailing twelve months is 18.20% percent. WestRock Company’s EBITDA margin for the recent year was 14.94%, whereas its operating margin stood at -4.90% for the same period. Based on annual data, it had gross profit of $4.02 billion and revenue of $21.26 billion.
Investors will also look at the performance of the company’s management in order to determine the potential profitability of their investment. WRK’s return on assets (ROA) during the last 12 months has been -4.90%. There was a 5.50% return on investment (ROI) in the past year. In the meantime, the return on equity (ROE) for the last 12 months was -13.30%.
Earnings Surprise
A lower net income was reported in the quarter under review than the previous quarter. Net income for the quarter came in at $5.12 billion, while revenues fell by -7.8% to $5.28 billion. EBITDA was $741.2 million for the quarter. At the end of WestRock Company’s most recent quarter, its liabilities totaled 18.12 billion, while its total debt was $9.75 billion. Equity owned by shareholders amounts to $256.28 million.
Technical Picture
Here’s a quick look at WestRock Company’s (WRK) price momentum from a technical perspective. As of 19 September, the RSI 9-day stood at 76.29%, suggesting the stock is Overbought, with a 27.56% historical volatility rate.
The stochastic %K and %D were 86.04% and 87.66% respectively, while the average true range (ATR) was 1.03. Based on the 14-day stochastic reading of 88.69%, the RSI (14) reading is 71.82%. On the 9-day MACD Oscillator, the stock is at 1.16, and the 14-day reading is at 2.27.
Analyst Ratings
In its most recent analyst report, BofA Securities raised its rating on WestRock Company (NYSE: WRK) to a Buy. Prior to this, analysts firm rated the stock as a Neutral. Analysts have assigned WestRock Company (WRK) an Overweight rating. WRK is a stock that is recommended for selling by 0 brokerage firms, while 5 companies recommend holding. The stock is underweighted by 0 analysts. Among the analysts who rate the stock, 2 rates it overweight and 3 others recommend it as a buy.
What is WRK’s price target for the next 12 months?
The current consensus forecast for the stock is between $32.50 and $45.00, with a median target price of $37.00. In analyzing these forecasts, the average price target given by analysts for WestRock Company (WRK) is $38.07.
