World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on WKC. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on World Kinect from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of World Kinect from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, World Kinect presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $29.50.

World Kinect Trading Up 0.8%

WKC opened at $27.65 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.71, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.87. World Kinect has a fifty-two week low of $22.21 and a fifty-two week high of $29.85. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $24.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.86.

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $9.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.29 billion. World Kinect had a positive return on equity of 8.27% and a negative net margin of 1.53%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.48 EPS. World Kinect has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.650-2.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that World Kinect will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other World Kinect news, Chairman Michael J. Kasbar sold 23,653 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.18, for a total value of $666,541.54. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 1,062,797 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,949,619.46. This represents a 2.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in World Kinect by 282.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,286 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its holdings in World Kinect by 52.8% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of World Kinect by 369.3% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,662 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of World Kinect in the third quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of World Kinect by 977.9% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 2,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 2,386 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.