Morgan Stanley Raises World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) Price Target to $26.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target for World Kinect from $25.00 to $26.00 but kept an "underweight" rating, implying about a 5.73% downside from the current price.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: MarketBeat shows an average rating of "Reduce" with an average target of $29.50 (1 Buy, 1 Hold, 2 Sell), although a few boutiques recently upgraded the stock.
• World Kinect beat Q1 estimates with $0.75 EPS vs $0.31 expected and $9.69B revenue, set FY 2026 guidance of 2.65–2.85 EPS, and reported a chairman sale of 23,653 shares while insiders own 3.2% and institutions own ~97%.

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $25.00 to $26.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "underweight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective points to a potential downside of 5.73% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of World Kinect from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of World Kinect from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $29.50.

World Kinect Price Performance

NYSE:WKC traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $27.58. 248,462 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 874,153. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $23.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.84. World Kinect has a 1 year low of $22.21 and a 1 year high of $29.85. The company has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a PE ratio of -2.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.22.

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.44. World Kinect had a negative net margin of 1.53% and a positive return on equity of 8.27%. The firm had revenue of $9.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.48 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. World Kinect has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.650-2.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that World Kinect will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Michael J. Kasbar sold 23,653 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.18, for a total value of $666,541.54. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 1,062,797 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,949,619.46. This trade represents a 2.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On World Kinect

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of World Kinect by 52.8% in the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in World Kinect by 282.7% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,286 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in World Kinect by 369.3% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,662 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in World Kinect during the third quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its position in World Kinect by 977.9% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 2,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 2,386 shares in the last quarter. 97.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About World Kinect

World Kinect Energy Services, Inc NYSE: WKC is a global energy services company specializing in fuel procurement, supply chain management and risk mitigation solutions. The company offers an integrated platform that facilitates the sourcing, trading and logistics of refined fuels, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energy products. Its services are designed to help industrial, commercial and institutional clients optimize energy costs, comply with environmental regulations and manage price volatility.

In addition to traditional commodity trading and delivery, World Kinect provides a suite of value-added services that include carbon offset and decarbonization strategies, energy efficiency consulting and emissions reporting.

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