Twin Capital Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in WestRock (NYSE:WRK)

Twin Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in WestRock (NYSE:WRK) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,368 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,445 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in WestRock were worth $2,423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in WestRock in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new position in WestRock during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Gyon Technologies Capital Management LP purchased a new position in WestRock during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its holdings in WestRock by 1,815.2% during the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 881 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of WestRock by 268.7% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 789 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. 83.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WestRock Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:WRK opened at $47.57 on Friday. WestRock has a twelve month low of $26.85 and a twelve month high of $49.67. The company’s 50 day moving average is $46.63 and its 200 day moving average is $41.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $4.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. WestRock had a positive return on equity of 6.87% and a negative net margin of 8.58%. WestRock’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. Analysts expect that WestRock will post 1.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WestRock Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $0.3025 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $1.21 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. WestRock’s payout ratio is -18.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on WRK shares. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of WestRock from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $42.00 target price on shares of WestRock in a report on Friday, February 2nd. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of WestRock in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $45.00 price target (up from $42.00) on shares of WestRock in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.40.

Insider Transactions at WestRock

In other WestRock news, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.77, for a total transaction of $149,695.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 92,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,939,844.09. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

WestRock 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.