Winmark Corporation $WINA Shares Bought by Vest Financial LLC

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in Winmark by 73% in Q4, buying an additional 4,451 shares to hold 10,548 shares (about 0.30% of the company) valued at roughly $4.27 million.
• Multiple large institutions — including AllianceBernstein, Jacobs Levy, First Trust and Fisher Asset — substantially raised or established positions in WINA, leaving institutional and hedge fund ownership at about 73.32%.
• Winmark missed quarterly EPS estimates ($2.50 vs. $2.70 expected) and was downgraded by Weiss Ratings to a Hold, though the company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.02 (annualized $4.08, ~1.1% yield).

Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Winmark Corporation (NASDAQ:WINA - Free Report) by 73.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,548 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 4,451 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.30% of Winmark worth $4,271,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in shares of Winmark by 2,358.0% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 73,739 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,845,000 after acquiring an additional 70,739 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in Winmark by 534.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 81,433 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $40,535,000 after purchasing an additional 68,603 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Winmark by 121.0% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 97,451 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $48,508,000 after purchasing an additional 53,365 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Winmark by 33.2% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 109,427 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $54,469,000 after purchasing an additional 27,275 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in Winmark during the second quarter worth $6,757,000. 73.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered Winmark from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Winmark presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Winmark Stock Performance

Shares of WINA opened at $374.82 on Thursday. Winmark Corporation has a 1 year low of $352.18 and a 1 year high of $527.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of 33.77 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $427.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $427.55.

Winmark (NASDAQ:WINA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The specialty retailer reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.70 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $20.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 million. Winmark had a negative return on equity of 100.45% and a net margin of 48.19%.

Winmark Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. This is a positive change from Winmark's previous quarterly dividend of $0.96. Winmark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.59%.

Winmark Profile

Winmark Corporation NASDAQ: WINA is a franchisor of retail resale stores, specializing in the resale of apparel, sporting goods, children's and maternity clothing, toys, and entertainment media. Through its portfolio of well-known brands—such as Plato's Closet, Once Upon a Child, Play It Again Sports, and Style Encore—Winmark provides aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to own and operate neighborhood resale businesses. The company supports its franchisees with site selection, store design, training programs, and ongoing marketing assistance, emphasizing a turnkey approach to retail entrepreneurship.

Each of Winmark's franchised brands targets a distinct consumer segment.

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