MarketWise (NASDAQ:MKTW) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded MarketWise (NASDAQ:MKTW) to a Hold rating while Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)," leaving the MarketBeat consensus at Hold with an average target price of $20.00.
• MarketWise reported a strong quarter, posting EPS of $0.77 (vs. -$0.22 expected) and revenue of $83.39 million (vs. $70.6 million expected).
• Insider activity was mixed: CFO Erik Mickels sold 6,000 shares while director Frank Porter Stansberry bought 17,270 shares, and corporate insiders collectively own 29.25% of the company.

MarketWise (NASDAQ:MKTW - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of MarketWise in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $20.00.

MarketWise Price Performance

MKTW stock opened at $17.00 on Friday. MarketWise has a 52-week low of $12.65 and a 52-week high of $21.74. The company has a 50-day moving average of $15.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $273.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.42 and a beta of 0.34.

MarketWise (NASDAQ:MKTW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 6th. The newsletter publisher reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.22) by $0.99. MarketWise had a net margin of 1.71% and a negative return on equity of 2.54%. The company had revenue of $83.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $70.60 million.

Insider Transactions at MarketWise

In related news, CFO Erik Mickels sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.70, for a total value of $88,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 79,064 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,162,240.80. This trade represents a 7.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frank Porter Stansberry bought 17,270 shares of MarketWise stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $15.19 per share, with a total value of $262,331.30. Following the purchase, the director owned 250,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,803,287.39. This trade represents a 7.41% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have sold 26,000 shares of company stock valued at $377,167 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 29.25% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MarketWise

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MKTW. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of MarketWise in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of MarketWise by 52.5% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,199 shares of the newsletter publisher's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 757 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of MarketWise by 300.5% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 121,661 shares of the newsletter publisher's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 91,282 shares during the period. Susquehanna International Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of MarketWise in the third quarter valued at about $191,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MarketWise in the second quarter valued at about $226,000. Institutional investors own 23.04% of the company's stock.

MarketWise Company Profile

MarketWise, Inc operates a content and technology multi-brand platform for self-directed investors in the United States and Internationally. Its platform includes subscription businesses that provides financial research, software, education, and tools to navigate the financial markets. The company offers various investment strategies, such as value investing, income, growth, commodities, cryptocurrencies, venture, crowdfunded investing, biotechnology, mutual funds, options, and trading; investment research product portfolio through a range of media, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile; and financial newsletters.

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