WisdomTree, Inc. $WT Shares Sold by Squarepoint Ops LLC

Key Points

• Squarepoint Ops LLC reduced its WisdomTree stake by 90.7% in the second quarter, selling 685,194 shares and retaining 70,082 shares valued at approximately $1.19 million.
• Other major institutions, including BlackRock and Azora Capital, opened substantial positions, while institutional investors collectively own 78.64% of WisdomTree’s stock.
• WisdomTree reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with revenue up 57.3% year over year and EPS of $0.31 versus the $0.26 consensus estimate. Analysts’ average rating remains “Hold,” with an average price target of $23.66.

Squarepoint Ops LLC cut its position in shares of WisdomTree, Inc. (NYSE:WT - Free Report) by 90.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 70,082 shares of the company's stock after selling 685,194 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC's holdings in WisdomTree were worth $1,187,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of WisdomTree in the second quarter worth about $326,513,000. Azora Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of WisdomTree during the 2nd quarter valued at about $104,698,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of WisdomTree during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,835,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of WisdomTree in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,743,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in shares of WisdomTree in the 2nd quarter valued at about $24,616,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.64% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at WisdomTree

In related news, COO R. Jarrett Lilien sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.56, for a total transaction of $736,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 1,080,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,530,817.20. The trade was a 2.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 10.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Northland Securities increased their price target on WisdomTree from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research cut WisdomTree from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on WisdomTree from $22.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded WisdomTree from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $21.00 target price on WisdomTree in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, WisdomTree currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $23.66.

WisdomTree Stock Up 0.4%

WT opened at $22.20 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a PE ratio of 42.69 and a beta of 1.20. WisdomTree, Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.69 and a twelve month high of $25.91. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $22.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.87. The company has a quick ratio of 2.73, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53.

WisdomTree (NYSE:WT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.05. WisdomTree had a return on equity of 39.12% and a net margin of 13.27%.The company had revenue of $177.16 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $170.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.18 EPS. WisdomTree's revenue was up 57.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that WisdomTree, Inc. will post 1.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WisdomTree Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th were paid a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. WisdomTree's payout ratio is currently 23.08%.

About WisdomTree

WisdomTree, Inc is a financial services company that operates as an exchange-traded fund (ETF) and exchange-traded product sponsor and asset manager. The company develops and manages investment strategies designed to provide exposure to equities, fixed income, currencies, commodities, alternatives and other asset classes.

Its product offerings include dividend-focused, growth and value ETFs, actively managed funds, currency and commodity products, and funds focused on environmental, social and governance themes.

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