Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE:CWK) Shares Climb 8.8% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Cushman & Wakefield shares jumped 8.8% to about $14.47 in midday trading, with volume slightly above average.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: five analysts rate the stock Buy, three Hold and one Sell. The consensus rating is Hold, with a $16.57 price target, while several firms recently lowered their targets.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.35 on $2.76 billion in revenue, but insider selling and a low 0.64% net margin remain notable considerations. Institutional investors own approximately 95.56% of the stock.

Cushman & Wakefield PLC (NYSE:CWK - Get Free Report) shot up 8.8% during mid-day trading on Monday. The company traded as high as $14.42 and last traded at $14.47. 2,205,472 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 5% from the average session volume of 2,103,135 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CWK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Cushman & Wakefield from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded Cushman & Wakefield from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Citigroup restated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Cushman & Wakefield in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Cushman & Wakefield from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered their price objective on shares of Cushman & Wakefield from $19.00 to $16.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $16.57.

Cushman & Wakefield Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $12.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.41. The company has a market cap of $3.35 billion, a PE ratio of 49.28 and a beta of 1.52.

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE:CWK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $2.76 billion during the quarter. Cushman & Wakefield had a return on equity of 15.90% and a net margin of 0.64%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Cushman & Wakefield PLC will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Laurida Sayed sold 16,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.88, for a total value of $222,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,461 shares in the company, valued at $75,798.68. This trade represents a 74.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Nathaniel Robinson sold 12,500 shares of Cushman & Wakefield stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.39, for a total value of $167,375.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 58,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $781,654.64. This trade represents a 17.64% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.74% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Cushman & Wakefield

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CWK. Integrity Alliance LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Cushman & Wakefield in the third quarter worth $148,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in Cushman & Wakefield by 2.1% during the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 64,214 shares of the company's stock valued at $758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,335 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its position in Cushman & Wakefield by 7.8% during the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 19,428 shares of the company's stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,399 shares during the period. Seven Mile Advisory acquired a new position in Cushman & Wakefield during the third quarter valued at $156,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Cushman & Wakefield by 33.9% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 2,177 shares during the last quarter. 95.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cushman & Wakefield Company Profile

Cushman & Wakefield plc NYSE: CWK is a global commercial real estate services company that provides advisory, transaction, and property-related solutions to property owners, occupiers, investors, and developers. The company serves clients across office, industrial, retail, multifamily, hospitality, and other real estate sectors.

Its services include leasing and tenant representation, capital markets and investment sales, valuation and advisory, property and facilities management, project and development services, and workplace and portfolio consulting.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.