Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes $533,000 Position in WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH has acquired a new position in WEX Inc., purchasing 3,394 shares valued at approximately $533,000 in the first quarter of the year.
• CEO Melissa D. Smith increased her ownership in WEX by purchasing 3,721 shares worth over $500,000, while CAO Jennifer Kimball sold 1,400 shares in a separate transaction.
• Recent analyst reports have seen Barclays raise the price target for WEX shares to $170.00, while the average rating is currently a "Hold" with a consensus target price of $181.50.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,394 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $533,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEX. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in WEX by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 29,408 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $5,283,000 after buying an additional 3,439 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in shares of WEX by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 6,008 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,053,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of WEX during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,446,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in WEX by 172.4% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 6,623 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,161,000 after purchasing an additional 4,192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in WEX by 72.2% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 272 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. 97.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on WEX shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on WEX from $138.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on WEX from $160.00 to $140.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on WEX from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Mizuho raised their price objective on WEX from $150.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on WEX from $135.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, WEX currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $181.50.

WEX Stock Up 1.4%

WEX stock traded up $2.41 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $168.78. The stock had a trading volume of 270,971 shares, compared to its average volume of 726,063. WEX Inc. has a 12 month low of $110.45 and a 12 month high of $217.47. The company has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $148.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $148.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.99.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other WEX news, CAO Jennifer Kimball sold 1,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.08, for a total transaction of $183,512.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,177 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $416,441.16. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Melissa D. Smith acquired 3,721 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $134.57 per share, with a total value of $500,734.97. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 101,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,616,061.74. This represents a 3.82% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

WEX Profile

WEX Inc operates a commerce platform in the United States and internationally. The Mobility segment offers fleet vehicle payment solutions, transaction processing, and information management services; and provides account activation and account retention services; authorization and billing inquiries, and account maintenance services; account management; credit and collections services; merchant services; analytics solutions; and ancillary services and offerings.