WestRock (NYSE:WRK) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.14 EPS

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) released its earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.14, Briefing.com reports. WestRock had a negative net margin of 8.58% and a positive return on equity of 6.87%. The business had revenue of $4.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.77 earnings per share. WestRock’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis.

WestRock Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE WRK traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $51.16. 2,937,138 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,137,784. The stock has a market cap of $13.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.61, a PEG ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.95. WestRock has a 1-year low of $26.85 and a 1-year high of $51.79. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.73.

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 issued a $0.3025 dividend. This represents a $1.21 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 13th. WestRock’s dividend payout ratio is currently -18.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WRK. StockNews.com began coverage on WestRock in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on WestRock from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of WestRock in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of WestRock from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of WestRock from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.77, for a total transaction of $149,695.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 92,117 shares in the company, valued at $3,939,844.09. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

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.