Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in World Kinect Corporation $WKC

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in World Kinect Corporation (NYSE:WKC) by 7.6% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 365,120 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,708 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in World Kinect were worth $8,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of World Kinect in the 4th quarter worth $9,427,000. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in shares of World Kinect by 38.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 226,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,305,000 after purchasing an additional 62,492 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its position in World Kinect by 98.6% during the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 96,774 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,267,000 after purchasing an additional 48,048 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in World Kinect by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,713,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,297,000 after purchasing an additional 62,111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in World Kinect during the fourth quarter worth about $413,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WKC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of World Kinect from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of World Kinect from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on World Kinect from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded World Kinect from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $30.50.

World Kinect News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting World Kinect this week:

• Positive Sentiment: World Kinect beat Q2 expectations with EPS of $1.29 versus the $0.75 consensus, while revenue came in at $13.59 billion, well above the $10.50 billion estimate. Revenue also grew 50.3% year over year, pointing to strong operating momentum. World Kinect (WKC) Beats Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised FY 2026 EPS guidance to $3.20-$3.40, above the prior Street view of about $2.79, suggesting management sees continued earnings strength ahead. World Kinect quarterly earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Following the earnings release, Zacks Research upgraded World Kinect from hold to strong-buy, reinforcing the bullish sentiment around the stock. Tickerreport.com
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional earnings-call transcripts and presentation materials were published, but they mainly provided more detail on the quarter rather than a new catalyst. World Kinect Corporation (WKC) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Insider Buying and Selling at World Kinect

In related news, Director Paul H. Stebbins sold 20,828 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.69, for a total transaction of $576,727.32. Following the sale, the director directly owned 40,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,126,124.61. This represents a 33.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael John Kroll sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.30, for a total transaction of $57,330.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 10,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $283,647. This trade represents a 16.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 109,275 shares of company stock worth $3,316,523. 3.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

World Kinect Price Performance

WKC stock opened at $38.17 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $32.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.78. World Kinect Corporation has a 12-month low of $22.21 and a 12-month high of $41.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of -11.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.19.

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.54. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.50 billion. World Kinect had a positive return on equity of 11.24% and a negative net margin of 0.43%.World Kinect’s revenue for the quarter was up 50.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. World Kinect has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.200-3.400 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that World Kinect Corporation will post 3.3 EPS for the current year.

World Kinect Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from World Kinect’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. World Kinect’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -28.66%.

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.