Nuveen LLC Acquires New Holdings in XPEL, Inc. $XPEL

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in XPEL, Inc. valued at approximately $2.71 million, owning 0.33% of the company after purchasing 92,382 shares.
• Multiple institutional investors significantly increased their holdings in XPEL, with notable increases including Schwartz Investment Counsel's 44.2% boost and GAMMA Investing's whopping 11,892.7% increase in shares.
• XPEL's recent earnings report showed a 13.5% revenue increase year-over-year, surpassing analysts' estimates, and the company announced a $50 million share buyback program, indicating confidence in its stock valuation.

Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of XPEL, Inc. (NASDAQ:XPEL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 92,382 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,714,000. Nuveen LLC owned about 0.33% of XPEL as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of XPEL. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in XPEL by 44.2% in the 1st quarter. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 774,339 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,750,000 after buying an additional 237,339 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in XPEL by 11,892.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 98,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,882,000 after buying an additional 97,282 shares during the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in XPEL by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 443,210 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,022,000 after buying an additional 45,677 shares during the last quarter. QV Investors Inc. acquired a new position in XPEL in the 1st quarter valued at $930,000. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in XPEL by 111.3% in the 1st quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 52,823 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,552,000 after buying an additional 27,826 shares during the last quarter. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

XPEL Trading Down 1.7%

XPEL stock traded down $0.66 during trading on Friday, hitting $37.16. 198,270 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 217,424. XPEL, Inc. has a one year low of $24.25 and a one year high of $47.23. The stock has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.15.

XPEL (NASDAQ:XPEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.07. XPEL had a net margin of 10.84% and a return on equity of 21.17%. The firm had revenue of $124.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $118.37 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.54 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that XPEL, Inc. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

XPEL announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, May 6th that authorizes the company to repurchase $50.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of XPEL from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of XPEL to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, XPEL has an average rating of "Sell".

XPEL Company Profile

XPEL, Inc sells, distributes, and installs protective films and coatings worldwide. The company offers automotive surface and paint protection film, headlight protection, and automotive and architectural window films, as well as proprietary DAP software. It also provides pre-cut film products, merchandise and apparel, ceramic coatings, and tools and accessories.