WisdomTree (NYSE:WT) Cut to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded WisdomTree from “Buy” to “Hold,” although the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $26.05.
• WisdomTree reported quarterly EPS of $0.31, beating estimates of $0.26, while revenue rose 57.3% year over year to $177.16 million.
• Shares opened at $21.21, below the 52-week high of $25.91; COO R. Jarrett Lilien sold 30,000 shares, while institutional investors own 78.64% of the stock.

WisdomTree (NYSE:WT - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of WisdomTree in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Craig Hallum raised their target price on WisdomTree from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Zacks Research raised shares of WisdomTree from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Weiss Ratings raised WisdomTree from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on WisdomTree from $21.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $26.05.

WisdomTree Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WT opened at $21.21 on Friday. WisdomTree has a 52 week low of $10.69 and a 52 week high of $25.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of 40.79 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a quick ratio of 2.73 and a current ratio of 3.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $23.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.29.

WisdomTree (NYSE:WT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.05. WisdomTree had a return on equity of 39.12% and a net margin of 13.27%. The company had revenue of $177.16 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.18 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 57.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that WisdomTree will post 1.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other WisdomTree news, COO R. Jarrett Lilien sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.56, for a total transaction of $736,800.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 1,080,245 shares in the company, valued at $26,530,817.20. This represents a 2.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 10.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in WisdomTree by 839.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 4,499 shares of the company's stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 4,020 shares in the last quarter. James Investment Research Inc. increased its holdings in shares of WisdomTree by 6.5% in the third quarter. James Investment Research Inc. now owns 65,499 shares of the company's stock worth $1,591,000 after purchasing an additional 3,984 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of WisdomTree by 7.6% in the third quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 34,736 shares of the company's stock worth $844,000 after purchasing an additional 2,468 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of WisdomTree in the third quarter worth $225,000. Finally, JGP Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of WisdomTree by 44.9% in the third quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC now owns 31,851 shares of the company's stock worth $774,000 after buying an additional 9,871 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.64% of the company's stock.

About WisdomTree

WisdomTree, Inc is a financial services company that sponsors and manages exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and exchange-traded products. Its offerings provide access to equities, fixed income, currencies, commodities, alternatives and other asset classes through rules-based investment strategies designed for individual and institutional investors.

The company also provides model portfolios, separately managed accounts and other investment solutions for financial professionals. In addition, WisdomTree has developed products and capabilities related to digital assets and blockchain-enabled financial services, subject to applicable regulatory requirements.

Founded in 1985 and formerly known as WisdomTree Investments, the company launched its first ETFs in 2006 and became known for dividend-focused and fundamentally weighted strategies.

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