World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) from a "hold" to a "strong-buy", but analyst opinions remain mixed—Wall Street Zen raised to a buy, Morgan Stanley stayed underweight after lifting its target, and the consensus rating is still "Hold" with an average target of $29.50.
• World Kinect beat expectations in the latest quarter with $0.75 EPS vs. $0.31 expected and $9.69B revenue vs. $9.29B expected, set FY2026 guidance of 2.65–2.85 EPS (analysts expect 2.83), while the stock shows a negative PE (-2.71) and a market cap of about $1.42B.

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on WKC. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of World Kinect from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on World Kinect from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, World Kinect has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $29.50.

World Kinect Stock Up 0.8%

WKC stock opened at $27.65 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $24.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a PE ratio of -2.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.22. World Kinect has a 12 month low of $22.21 and a 12 month high of $29.85.

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.44. World Kinect had a negative net margin of 1.53% and a positive return on equity of 8.27%. The firm had revenue of $9.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.48 EPS. The company's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. World Kinect has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.650-2.850 EPS. Equities analysts expect that World Kinect will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Michael J. Kasbar sold 23,653 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.18, for a total transaction of $666,541.54. Following the sale, the chairman owned 1,062,797 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,949,619.46. This represents a 2.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of World Kinect

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in shares of World Kinect by 47.1% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 121,463 shares of the company's stock worth $3,152,000 after buying an additional 38,888 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in shares of World Kinect by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 156,011 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,048,000 after purchasing an additional 46,390 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in World Kinect by 64.1% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,042,766 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,060,000 after purchasing an additional 407,225 shares during the last quarter. Numerai GP LLC bought a new stake in shares of World Kinect during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,557,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of World Kinect by 6.3% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,740,728 shares of the company's stock worth $45,172,000 after acquiring an additional 103,489 shares during the period. 97.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About World Kinect

World Kinect Energy Services, Inc NYSE: WKC is a global energy services company specializing in fuel procurement, supply chain management and risk mitigation solutions. The company offers an integrated platform that facilitates the sourcing, trading and logistics of refined fuels, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energy products. Its services are designed to help industrial, commercial and institutional clients optimize energy costs, comply with environmental regulations and manage price volatility.

In addition to traditional commodity trading and delivery, World Kinect provides a suite of value-added services that include carbon offset and decarbonization strategies, energy efficiency consulting and emissions reporting.

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