William Blair Investment Management LLC Buys 180,797 Shares of WillScot Holdings Corporation $WSC

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in WillScot Holdings by 3.4%, acquiring 180,797 additional shares to reach a total of 5,462,958 shares, representing about 3.00% of the company valued at approximately $149.7 million.
• Analysts have recently adjusted their target prices for WillScot, with Jefferies Financial Group lowering its target from $32.00 to $23.00, indicating a shift in sentiment with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a price target of $32.13.
• WillScot reported Q2 earnings of $0.27 per share, which missed analysts' expectations, while its revenue decreased by 2.6% year-over-year, totaling $589.08 million.

William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of WillScot Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:WSC - Free Report) by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,462,958 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 180,797 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 3.00% of WillScot worth $149,685,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WSC. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in WillScot by 273.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 933 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 683 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of WillScot by 428.2% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,122 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of WillScot by 89.9% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,747 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 827 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in WillScot by 28.0% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,358 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in WillScot in the 1st quarter worth approximately $80,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on WSC shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on WillScot from $32.00 to $23.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Barclays dropped their price objective on WillScot from $34.00 to $22.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on WillScot from $39.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of WillScot from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of WillScot in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $32.13.

WillScot Stock Down 4.3%

WillScot stock opened at $21.14 on Friday. WillScot Holdings Corporation has a one year low of $20.08 and a one year high of $42.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $22.95 and a 200 day moving average of $25.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a PE ratio of 35.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.10.

WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.09). WillScot had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 24.83%. The firm had revenue of $589.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.39 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. WillScot has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that WillScot Holdings Corporation will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

WillScot Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 3rd were given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. WillScot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at WillScot

In other news, EVP Hezron T. Lopez sold 22,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.63, for a total transaction of $541,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 54,038 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,330,955.94. The trade was a 28.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Bradley Lee Soultz bought 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $25.35 per share, for a total transaction of $76,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 126,817 shares in the company, valued at $3,214,810.95. This trade represents a 2.42% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

About WillScot

WillScot Holdings Corporation provides workspace and portable storage solutions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It operates in two segments, Modular Solutions and Storage Solutions. Its modular solutions include panelized and stackable offices, single-wide modular space units, section modulars and redi-plex, classrooms, ground level offices, blast-resistant modules, clearspan structures, and other modular space; and portable storage solutions, such as portable and cold storage containers, as well as trailers.

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