WisdomTree, Inc. (NYSE:WT) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• WisdomTree has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from seven research firms, with an average 1-year price target of $20.06.
• The company recently reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue expectations, with revenue up 47.5% year over year.
• Insider selling and heavy institutional ownership were also noted, including recent share sales by executives and 78.64% of the stock held by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Shares of WisdomTree, Inc. (NYSE:WT - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $20.06.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on WisdomTree from $18.00 to $20.50 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Zacks Research upgraded WisdomTree from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on WisdomTree in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $20.00 price objective on the stock. Northland Securities set a $22.00 target price on WisdomTree in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of WisdomTree from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider David M. Yates sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.06, for a total value of $270,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 157,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,844,431.94. This trade represents a 8.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO R Jarrett Lilien sold 30,000 shares of WisdomTree stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.99, for a total value of $569,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 1,110,245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,083,552.55. This represents a 2.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 10.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of WisdomTree by 236.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,674,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,477,000 after acquiring an additional 6,799,654 shares during the period. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of WisdomTree during the 4th quarter worth about $30,835,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in WisdomTree by 556.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,327,389 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,887,000 after purchasing an additional 1,972,847 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in WisdomTree by 116.5% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,389,653 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823,777 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC purchased a new stake in WisdomTree in the 3rd quarter worth about $24,125,000. 78.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WisdomTree Price Performance

Shares of WisdomTree stock traded down $0.32 on Tuesday, hitting $18.13. 143,641 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,549,740. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.44 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 4.18 and a current ratio of 4.57. WisdomTree has a 52 week low of $10.69 and a 52 week high of $19.85. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.27.

WisdomTree (NYSE:WT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $159.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $156.96 million. WisdomTree had a net margin of 11.26% and a return on equity of 33.31%. WisdomTree's quarterly revenue was up 47.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.16 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that WisdomTree will post 1.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WisdomTree Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were issued a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. WisdomTree's payout ratio is 29.27%.

About WisdomTree

WisdomTree Investments, Inc NYSE: WT is a U.S.-based asset management firm specializing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and exchange-traded products (ETPs). Founded in 2006 by Jonathan Steinberg and headquartered in New York City, WisdomTree has developed a reputation for pioneering smart-beta and fundamentally weighted indexing approaches. The company designs strategies that seek to enhance returns and reduce volatility by weighting constituents based on dividends, earnings or other financial metrics rather than relying solely on market capitalization.

WisdomTree offers a broad suite of investment products covering equities, fixed income, currencies, commodities and digital assets.

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