WEX (NYSE:WEX) Trading Down 13% – What’s Next?

WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) dropped 13% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $160.92 and last traded at $160.9610. Approximately 284,639 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 39% from the average daily volume of 465,288 shares. The stock had previously closed at $184.93.

Key WEX News

Here are the key news stories impacting WEX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported Q1 results beat revenue and EPS expectations and management raised guidance for Q2 and FY2026 — a core fundamental positive that supports higher earnings estimates. WEX Q1 Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its price target to $220 and reiterated an outperform stance, signaling bullish analyst conviction that could support upside over time. Baird Price Target Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Other analysts issued mixed notes (Morgan Stanley lifted its target to $158 while median targets remain in the mid-$160s); differing targets leave near-term analyst sentiment mixed. Morgan Stanley Target Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Company plans a virtual fireside chat and issued a shareholder letter highlighting “accelerating momentum” and strategy execution — useful for investors seeking management clarity but not an immediate catalyst. Fireside Chat Announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Proxy fight/Governance risk: Glass Lewis recommended that shareholders support dissident nominees backed by Impactive Capital — that raises short-term governance uncertainty and can pressure the stock. Glass Lewis Proxy Recommendation
• Negative Sentiment: Large volume, insider selling and institutional repositioning were reported today (multiple insiders have sold shares recently; some large funds materially reduced exposure), consistent with the heavy intraday selloff. Flow-driven selling often amplifies moves even when fundamentals are solid. Quiver Quant: Volume & Insider Activity
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets flagged weakening operating cash flow and rising liabilities in Q1 analyses — a potential concern if cash generation lags while leverage remains elevated. Quiver Q1 Analysis

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WEX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of WEX in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of WEX from $175.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of WEX from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of WEX from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group set a $165.00 target price on shares of WEX and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.27.

WEX Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $159.02 and a 200-day moving average of $154.61. The firm has a market cap of $5.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

WEX (NYSE:WEX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.92 by $0.23. WEX had a return on equity of 48.01% and a net margin of 11.43%.The business had revenue of $673.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $660.96 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.51 earnings per share. WEX’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. WEX has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.950-19.550 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 4.930-5.130 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that WEX Inc. will post 15.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at WEX

In related news, COO Robert Joseph Deshaies sold 3,238 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.22, for a total transaction of $486,412.36. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 14,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,232,118.98. This trade represents a 17.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Carlos Carriedo sold 1,575 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.90, for a total transaction of $251,842.50. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 3,695 shares in the company, valued at $590,830.50. The trade was a 29.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 15,479 shares of company stock valued at $2,454,914 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of WEX during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of WEX during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of WEX by 368.1% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 220 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in WEX by 162.1% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 228 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp increased its holdings in WEX by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 237 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 97.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

WEX Company Profile

WEX Inc is a global financial technology company specializing in business payment solutions for fleet, travel, and corporate payments. The company delivers software-driven platforms and card-based services that help businesses automate payment processes, manage expenses and improve operational efficiency across a range of industries, including transportation, healthcare and government.

Founded in 1983 as Wright Express in Portland, Maine, the company began by offering fuel card services to trucking fleets.