WestRock (NYSE:WRK) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.14 EPS

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.14, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $4.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.75 billion. WestRock had a positive return on equity of 6.87% and a negative net margin of 8.58%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.77 EPS.

WestRock Stock Performance

WRK stock traded up $0.05 on Friday, reaching $51.16. 2,937,138 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,137,784. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.21 billion, a PE ratio of -7.61, a PEG ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 1.10. WestRock has a 12 month low of $26.85 and a 12 month high of $51.79. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $47.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.73. 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be given a $0.3025 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 13th. This represents a $1.21 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. WestRock’s dividend payout ratio is -18.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at WestRock

In related news, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of WestRock stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.77, for a total transaction of $149,695.00. Following the sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.