World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) Cut to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also commented on WKC. Weiss Ratings lowered World Kinect from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of World Kinect from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $30.00 price target on shares of World Kinect in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, World Kinect presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.00.

World Kinect Stock Performance

Shares of WKC stock traded down $0.23 on Friday, hitting $35.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 656,502 shares, compared to its average volume of 976,449. World Kinect has a fifty-two week low of $22.21 and a fifty-two week high of $41.20. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of -11.09, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $35.92 and its 200-day moving average is $29.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.06.

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.54. The business had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.50 billion. World Kinect had a negative net margin of 0.43% and a positive return on equity of 11.24%. The business’s revenue was up 50.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. World Kinect has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.200-3.400 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that World Kinect will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John L. Manley sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.88, for a total transaction of $398,800.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 54,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,158,146.08. This represents a 15.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul H. Stebbins sold 33,445 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.93, for a total value of $1,335,458.85. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 58,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,350,998.54. This represents a 36.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 124,445 shares of company stock valued at $4,455,900. Company insiders own 3.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On World Kinect

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WKC. Corient Private Wealth LP grew its holdings in World Kinect by 30.9% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 47,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,555,000 after buying an additional 11,135 shares in the last quarter. Optimize Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of World Kinect during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $244,000. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of World Kinect by 2,393.9% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,842,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,923,000 after buying an additional 1,768,240 shares during the period. AXQ Capital LP grew its stake in shares of World Kinect by 113.0% during the 2nd quarter. AXQ Capital LP now owns 26,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $860,000 after acquiring an additional 13,848 shares during the period. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake in World Kinect in the 2nd quarter worth about $204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.06% of the company’s stock.

World Kinect Company Profile

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.