World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) Hits New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

World Kinect Corporation (NYSE:WKC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $34.00 and last traded at $33.8050, with a volume of 500 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.78.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on WKC. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on World Kinect from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Zacks Research cut World Kinect from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of World Kinect from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of World Kinect from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.50.

World Kinect Trading Up 0.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company’s 50 day moving average is $30.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.71. The firm has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.32, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.19.

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.44. World Kinect had a positive return on equity of 8.27% and a negative net margin of 1.53%.The business had revenue of $9.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. World Kinect has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.650-2.850 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that World Kinect Corporation will post 2.79 earnings per share for the current year.

World Kinect Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This is a boost from World Kinect’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. World Kinect’s payout ratio is -9.01%.

Insider Transactions at World Kinect

In related news, Director Richard A. Kassar sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.97, for a total value of $269,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,451,309.64. This trade represents a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul H. Stebbins sold 20,828 shares of World Kinect stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.69, for a total transaction of $576,727.32. Following the sale, the director owned 40,669 shares in the company, valued at $1,126,124.61. This represents a 33.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 107,928 shares of company stock valued at $3,107,065. Company insiders own 3.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WKC. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of World Kinect in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in World Kinect in the third quarter valued at $61,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its stake in World Kinect by 977.9% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 2,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,386 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in World Kinect by 108.8% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 1,372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of World Kinect during the second quarter valued at $96,000. Institutional investors own 97.06% of the company’s stock.

About World Kinect

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.