WSP Global Inc. (TSE:WSP) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• WSP Global Inc. has received a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from nine ratings firms, with an average 1-year price target of C$304.69.
• Recent insider trading saw significant sales, with insider Philippe Fortier selling 7,000 shares and Director Alexandre L'heureux selling 25,000 shares on August 14th, reducing their ownership by 80.03% and 39.80% respectively.
• The company recently declared a $0.375 quarterly dividend, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.6% and a payout ratio of 24.47%.

Shares of WSP Global Inc. (TSE:WSP - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$304.69.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on WSP Global from C$312.00 to C$324.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. National Bankshares lifted their price objective on WSP Global from C$292.00 to C$297.00 in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of WSP Global from C$289.00 to C$293.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. CIBC upped their price target on shares of WSP Global from C$305.00 to C$317.00 in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Desjardins boosted their target price on shares of WSP Global from C$301.00 to C$313.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other WSP Global news, insider Philippe Fortier sold 7,000 shares of WSP Global stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$280.43, for a total transaction of C$1,963,010.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,747 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately C$489,911.21. The trade was a 80.03% decrease in their position. Also, Director Alexandre L'heureux sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$280.25, for a total value of C$7,006,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 37,809 shares in the company, valued at C$10,595,972.25. This represents a 39.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 78,781 shares of company stock valued at $22,092,534. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

WSP Global Price Performance

TSE WSP opened at C$271.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 80.45, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average of C$282.08 and a 200 day moving average of C$268.49. WSP Global has a one year low of C$217.42 and a one year high of C$291.46. The company has a market capitalization of C$35.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.24, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.64.

WSP Global Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were given a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. WSP Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.47%.

WSP Global Company Profile

WSP Global Inc provides engineering and design services to clients in the Transportation & Infrastructure, Property and Buildings, Environment, Power and Energy, Resources, and Industry sectors. It also offers strategic advisory services. The firm operates through four reportable segments namely, Canada, Americas ( US and Latin America), EMEIA (Europe, Middle East, India and Africa), and APAC (Asia Pacific, comprising Australia, New Zealand and Asia).

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