WestRock (NYSE:WRK) Shares Sold by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI lowered its holdings in shares of WestRock (NYSE:WRK - Free Report) by 32.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 446,835 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 210,846 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.17% of WestRock worth $18,667,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WRK. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in WestRock during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of WestRock by 268.7% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 789 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of WestRock by 59.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 862 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the period. Clear Street Markets LLC raised its holdings in shares of WestRock by 198.5% during the third quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of WestRock during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Institutional investors own 83.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at WestRock

In other news, EVP Denise R. Singleton sold 9,700 shares of WestRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.46, for a total transaction of $499,162.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,946 shares in the company, valued at $3,856,721.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Vicki L. Lostetter sold 3,500 shares of WestRock stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.77, for a total value of $149,695.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 92,117 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,939,844.09. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Denise R. Singleton sold 9,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.46, for a total transaction of $499,162.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 74,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,856,721.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 20,165 shares of company stock valued at $1,007,346. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

WestRock Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:WRK traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $51.81. 3,155,607 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,170,473. WestRock has a 12-month low of $26.85 and a 12-month high of $52.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $48.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.60, a PEG ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 1.10.

WestRock (NYSE:WRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The basic materials company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $4.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.75 billion. WestRock had a net margin of 1.57% and a return on equity of 5.85%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that WestRock will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current year.

WestRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.3025 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 13th. This represents a $1.21 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. WestRock's dividend payout ratio is presently 101.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WRK shares. Seaport Res Ptn cut WestRock from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Argus lifted their price target on WestRock from $50.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial lifted their target price on WestRock from $42.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of WestRock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of WestRock in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $47.60.

WestRock Profile

WestRock Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides fiber-based paper and packaging solutions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Corrugated Packaging, Consumer Packaging, Global Paper, and Distribution. The Corrugated Packaging segment produces containerboards, corrugated sheets, corrugated packaging, and preprinted linerboards to consumer and industrial products manufacturers, and corrugated box manufacturers.