AQR Capital Management LLC Acquires 8,475,385 Shares of Newell Brands Inc. $NWL

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Newell Brands Inc. by 401.2%, acquiring an additional 8,475,385 shares, bringing its total holdings to approximately 10.59 million shares worth $65.38 million.
• Newell Brands recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.07, with a yield of 4.4%, to be paid on September 15 to investors of record as of August 29.
• The company's stock is currently priced at $6.39, with analysts projecting a consensus earnings per share (EPS) of 0.72 for the current year and noting the stock has a mean target price of $7.44.

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Newell Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:NWL - Free Report) by 401.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,588,136 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,475,385 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.53% of Newell Brands worth $65,382,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NWL. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Newell Brands by 22.1% in the 1st quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 38,746 shares of the company's stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 7,009 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Newell Brands in the first quarter valued at about $254,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Newell Brands by 29.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 775,131 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,800,000 after acquiring an additional 175,178 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Newell Brands in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, EVR Research LP lifted its position in shares of Newell Brands by 27.3% in the 1st quarter. EVR Research LP now owns 1,400,000 shares of the company's stock worth $8,680,000 after acquiring an additional 300,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on NWL. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $6.00 price target (up previously from $5.00) on shares of Newell Brands in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Newell Brands from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Newell Brands from $5.00 to $5.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on shares of Newell Brands from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Newell Brands from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Newell Brands has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $7.44.

Newell Brands Price Performance

NASDAQ:NWL traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $6.09. 4,516,186 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,542,622. Newell Brands Inc. has a 12 month low of $4.22 and a 12 month high of $11.78. The stock has a market cap of $2.55 billion, a PE ratio of -10.32 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The company has a fifty day moving average of $5.71 and a 200 day moving average of $5.66.

Newell Brands (NASDAQ:NWL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24. Newell Brands had a negative net margin of 3.29% and a positive return on equity of 8.48%. The business had revenue of $1.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.36 earnings per share. Newell Brands's revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Newell Brands has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.660-0.70 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 0.160-0.19 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Newell Brands Inc. will post 0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Newell Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Newell Brands's dividend payout ratio is -47.46%.

Insider Transactions at Newell Brands

In related news, CEO Melanie Arlene Huet sold 8,800 shares of Newell Brands stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.11, for a total value of $44,968.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 52,007 shares in the company, valued at $265,755.77. This trade represents a 14.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Newell Brands Profile

Newell Brands Inc engages in the design, manufacture, sourcing, and distribution of consumer and commercial products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Home and Commercial Solutions, Learning and Development, and Outdoor and Recreation. The Commercial Solutions segment provides commercial cleaning and maintenance solution products under the Rubbermaid, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Mapa, and Spontex brands; closet and garage organization products; hygiene systems and material handling solutions; household products, such as kitchen appliances under the Crockpot, Mr.