WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) Lowered to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on WSC. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $21.00 price target (down from $37.00) on shares of WillScot in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $23.00 target price (up previously from $22.00) on shares of WillScot in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of WillScot from $22.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of WillScot in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of WillScot from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, WillScot presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $25.63.

WillScot Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WSC opened at $22.53 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.15. The stock has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a PE ratio of -75.10, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.12. The company’s fifty day moving average is $20.80 and its 200 day moving average is $21.32. WillScot has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $35.63.

WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $565.97 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $545.34 million. WillScot had a negative net margin of 2.32% and a positive return on equity of 20.42%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.48 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that WillScot will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

WillScot Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. WillScot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -93.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WillScot

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of WillScot by 117.3% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of WillScot by 149.9% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of WillScot by 37.7% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 567 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of WillScot in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of WillScot by 45.1% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 2,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 662 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.81% of the company’s stock.

About WillScot

WillScot (NASDAQ: WSC) is a leading North American provider of modular space and portable storage solutions. The company designs, manufactures, leases and sells temporary and permanent modular buildings to serve sectors such as education, healthcare, construction, industrial and government. Its modular space offerings range from single‐unit office trailers and classrooms to complex multi‐unit configurations tailored to diverse project requirements.

In addition to modular structures, WillScot offers a broad portfolio of portable storage containers and related services, including site logistics, customization, delivery and installation.