Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ:WMG) Shares Bought by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ:WMG - Free Report) by 60.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 73,692 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,811 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.'s holdings in Warner Music Group were worth $2,637,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in shares of Warner Music Group in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Warner Music Group in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Warner Music Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $75,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Warner Music Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $228,000. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Warner Music Group in the 4th quarter valued at $296,000. 96.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WMG shares. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Warner Music Group from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $17.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Warner Music Group from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of Warner Music Group from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $36.88.

Warner Music Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:WMG traded up $0.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $34.14. 1,474,254 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,714,191. Warner Music Group Corp. has a 12 month low of $23.62 and a 12 month high of $38.05. The company has a fifty day moving average of $33.57 and a 200 day moving average of $34.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.50. The stock has a market cap of $17.68 billion, a PE ratio of 38.80, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.43.

Warner Music Group (NASDAQ:WMG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. Warner Music Group had a net margin of 7.42% and a return on equity of 128.86%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Warner Music Group Corp. will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Warner Music Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. Warner Music Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.27%.

Warner Music Group Company Profile

Warner Music Group Corp. operates as a music entertainment company in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and internationally. It operates through Recorded Music and Music Publishing segments. The Recorded Music segment is involved in the discovery and development of recording artists, as well as related marketing, promotion, distribution, sale, and licensing of music created by such recording artists; markets its music catalog through compilations and reissuances of previously released music and video titles, as well as previously unreleased materials; and conducts its operation primarily through a collection of record labels, such as Warner Records and Atlantic Records, as well as Asylum, Big Beat, Canvasback, East West, Erato, FFRR, Fueled by Ramen, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Roadrunner, Sire, Spinnin' Records, Warner Classics, and Warner Music Nashville.