XPEL (NASDAQ:XPEL) Trading 6.7% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• XPEL's stock price increased by 6.7% after Wall Street Zen upgraded it from a hold to a buy rating, with shares trading as high as $38.18.
• Despite the upgrade, Zacks Research rated XPEL as a "strong sell," and the overall consensus rating remains at "sell" among analysts.
• Institutional investors hold 75.08% of XPEL's shares, with significant increases in positions by several major investors during the fourth quarter.

XPEL, Inc. (NASDAQ:XPEL - Get Free Report) rose 6.7% during trading on Monday after Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The stock traded as high as $38.18 and last traded at $38.06. Approximately 49,980 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 203,430 shares. The stock had previously closed at $35.68.

Separately, Zacks Research raised shares of XPEL to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Sell".

Institutional Investors Weigh In On XPEL

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of XPEL by 81.8% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 851 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of XPEL by 0.6% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 63,606 shares of the company's stock worth $1,869,000 after buying an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp grew its holdings in shares of XPEL by 1.6% during the first quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 32,500 shares of the company's stock worth $955,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of XPEL by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,375 shares of the company's stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of XPEL by 12.1% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,395 shares of the company's stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 583 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.08% of the company's stock.

XPEL Price Performance

The stock's fifty day moving average price is $35.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.82. The firm has a market cap of $959.70 million, a PE ratio of 19.70 and a beta of 1.67.

XPEL (NASDAQ:XPEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $124.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $118.37 million. XPEL had a net margin of 10.84% and a return on equity of 21.17%. The company's revenue was up 13.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.54 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that XPEL, Inc. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

XPEL Company Profile

XPEL, Inc sells, distributes, and installs protective films and coatings worldwide. The company offers automotive surface and paint protection film, headlight protection, and automotive and architectural window films, as well as proprietary DAP software. It also provides pre-cut film products, merchandise and apparel, ceramic coatings, and tools and accessories.