Quantbot Technologies LP Makes New Investment in Weibo Corporation $WB

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP has acquired a new stake in Weibo Corporation, purchasing 69,288 shares valued at approximately $656,000.
• Despite recent positive earnings reports, several brokerages downgraded Weibo's stock, with Wall Street Zen cutting its rating from "buy" to "hold."
• Weibo has demonstrated a significant increase in institutional ownership, with 68.77% of the stock owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Weibo Corporation (NASDAQ:WB - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 69,288 shares of the information services provider's stock, valued at approximately $656,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WB. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Weibo in the 4th quarter valued at $173,000. Mariner LLC boosted its stake in shares of Weibo by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 54,030 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 14,191 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado purchased a new stake in shares of Weibo in the 4th quarter valued at $133,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Weibo by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 178,201 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,702,000 after purchasing an additional 68,023 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Weibo by 26.5% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 15,780 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $151,000 after purchasing an additional 3,307 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.77% of the company's stock.

Weibo Trading Up 2.6%

NASDAQ WB traded up $0.29 during trading on Friday, hitting $11.46. The company had a trading volume of 959,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,401,901. The company has a current ratio of 3.65, a quick ratio of 3.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Weibo Corporation has a one year low of $7.03 and a one year high of $12.40. The company has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.01 and a beta of 0.10. The company's fifty day moving average is $10.23 and its 200-day moving average is $9.63.

Weibo (NASDAQ:WB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 14th. The information services provider reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.27. Weibo had a net margin of 21.10% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The business had revenue of $444.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $438.84 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Weibo Corporation will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on WB. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Weibo from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Weibo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Weibo presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $14.00.

About Weibo

Weibo Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as a social media platform for people to create, discover, and distribute content in the People's Republic of China. It operates in two segments, Advertising and Marketing Services; and Value-Added Services. The company offers discovery products to help users discover content on its platform; self-expression products that enable its users to express themselves on its platform; and social products to promote social interaction between users on its platform.