Westrock Coffee Company (NASDAQ:WEST) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give Westrock Coffee an average recommendation of Hold from five firms (two sell, three buy), with an average 12‑month price target of $7.00.
• The company reported Q1 EPS of ($0.21) versus an expected ($0.10) while revenue beat at $339.5M, leaving negative net margin (~7.6%) and analysts forecasting about ($0.30) EPS for the fiscal year; the stock trades near $5.50 with a 52‑week range of $3.59–$7.92.
• Director Joe T. Ford purchased 55,000 shares at roughly $4.60 (an 11.5% increase in his stake); insiders own ~27.7% of shares and institutions hold ~45.1%.

Westrock Coffee Company (NASDAQ:WEST - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $7.00.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WEST. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Westrock Coffee in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Westrock Coffee from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Westrock Coffee from $10.00 to $7.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $7.00 price objective on shares of Westrock Coffee in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Westrock Coffee from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th.

Westrock Coffee Stock Up 5.6%

Westrock Coffee stock opened at $5.50 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $532.84 million, a P/E ratio of -5.79 and a beta of 0.49. Westrock Coffee has a 1-year low of $3.59 and a 1-year high of $7.92. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 37.87.

Westrock Coffee (NASDAQ:WEST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported ($0.21) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.10) by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $339.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $317.40 million. Westrock Coffee had a negative net margin of 7.61% and a negative return on equity of 233.53%. Research analysts anticipate that Westrock Coffee will post -0.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Westrock Coffee

In other news, Director Joe T. Ford acquired 55,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.60 per share, for a total transaction of $253,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 533,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,456,013.60. This trade represents a 11.48% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 27.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WEST. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Westrock Coffee by 199.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,214 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 4,136 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Westrock Coffee by 79.2% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,782 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 3,439 shares during the period. Waterloo Capital L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Westrock Coffee during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new stake in shares of Westrock Coffee during the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Westrock Coffee during the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. 45.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Westrock Coffee

Westrock Coffee Company is a global integrated coffee roaster and manufacturer that delivers end-to-end solutions across the coffee and tea supply chain. The company sources, roasts, blends, packages and distributes a diverse range of products, including hot and cold brew coffee, single-serve pods, instant and soluble coffee, tea, and specialty coffee extracts. Serving retail, convenience, foodservice and industrial customers, Westrock Coffee offers both private-label and co-packed branded products to meet the needs of supermarkets, quick-service restaurants, office coffee services and other channels.

Since its founding in 2008, Westrock Coffee has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish manufacturing facilities across North America, Latin America and Europe.

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