Westrock Coffee (NASDAQ:WEST) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Westrock Coffee Company (NASDAQ:WEST) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $9.13 and last traded at $8.93, with a volume of 1318628 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $7.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WEST shares. Weiss Ratings raised Westrock Coffee from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $8.00 price target on shares of Westrock Coffee in a report on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Westrock Coffee from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Westrock Coffee from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Westrock Coffee from $7.00 to $9.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.00.

Westrock Coffee Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $6.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.18. The firm has a market cap of $865.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.91 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 37.87.

Westrock Coffee (NASDAQ:WEST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.04) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by $0.09. Westrock Coffee had a negative return on equity of 2,145.68% and a negative net margin of 5.59%.The firm had revenue of $308.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $285.13 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Westrock Coffee Company will post -0.18 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Westrock Coffee

In other news, Director Joe T. Ford purchased 15,000 shares of Westrock Coffee stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $8.50 per share, for a total transaction of $127,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 273,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,320,500. The trade was a 5.81% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 134,500 shares of company stock valued at $720,115. 25.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Westrock Coffee

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEST. Group One Trading LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Westrock Coffee in the first quarter worth $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Westrock Coffee by 199.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,214 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 4,136 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Westrock Coffee by 79.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 3,439 shares during the period. Waterloo Capital L.P. purchased a new stake in Westrock Coffee in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Westrock Coffee during the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. 45.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Westrock Coffee Company Profile

Westrock Coffee Company is a global integrated coffee roaster and manufacturer that delivers end-to-end solutions across the coffee and tea supply chain. The company sources, roasts, blends, packages and distributes a diverse range of products, including hot and cold brew coffee, single-serve pods, instant and soluble coffee, tea, and specialty coffee extracts. Serving retail, convenience, foodservice and industrial customers, Westrock Coffee offers both private-label and co-packed branded products to meet the needs of supermarkets, quick-service restaurants, office coffee services and other channels.

Since its founding in 2008, Westrock Coffee has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish manufacturing facilities across North America, Latin America and Europe.