Copart, Inc. $CPRT Position Increased by Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Copart, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRT) by 517.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 84,910 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 71,148 shares during the quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Copart were worth $3,818,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC bought a new stake in shares of Copart in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $219,000. Shell Asset Management Co. grew its position in Copart by 6.7% in the second quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 167,910 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,239,000 after buying an additional 10,559 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Copart by 3.5% in the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 753,973 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,153,000 after buying an additional 25,564 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Copart by 89.0% in the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 2,548,275 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $125,044,000 after buying an additional 1,200,035 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord & Richards Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Copart by 32.6% during the 2nd quarter. Lord & Richards Wealth Management LLC now owns 34,245 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,680,000 after acquiring an additional 8,413 shares during the last quarter. 85.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Copart Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ:CPRT opened at $41.31 on Thursday. Copart, Inc. has a 1-year low of $37.41 and a 1-year high of $63.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $39.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.67.

Copart (NASDAQ:CPRT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The business services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.18 billion. Copart had a return on equity of 17.78% and a net margin of 34.24%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Copart, Inc. will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Copart

In other news, Director Thomas N. Tryforos sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.07, for a total transaction of $3,907,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey Liaw sold 25,137 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.17, for a total transaction of $1,009,753.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,970 shares in the company, valued at $2,248,314.90. This trade represents a 30.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 9.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Copart from $55.00 to $52.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 21st. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $33.00 price target (up previously from $32.00) on shares of Copart in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Copart in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Copart from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, CJS Securities raised shares of Copart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.60.

Copart Profile

Copart (NASDAQ: CPRT) is a global provider of online vehicle auction and remarketing services, focused primarily on the sale of salvage and clean-title vehicles. The company operates a technology-driven auction platform that connects sellers — including insurance companies, vehicle finance firms, rental car companies, dealerships and fleet owners — with a broad buyer base consisting of vehicle dismantlers, recyclers, rebuilders and retail buyers. Copart’s business model centers on efficient vehicle disposition using digital bidding and logistics services to maximize recovery value for its clients.

Core services include hosting live and timed online auctions, vehicle listing and inspection support, title processing, and transportation and storage solutions.