World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

World Kinect Corporation (NYSE:WKC) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $31.89 and last traded at $31.4140, with a volume of 942899 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $31.13.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of 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 “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of World Kinect from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of World Kinect from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $29.50.

World Kinect Price Performance

The business’s 50-day moving average price is $26.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.22.

World Kinect (NYSE:WKC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.44. World Kinect had a negative net margin of 1.53% and a positive return on equity of 8.27%. The company had revenue of $9.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.29 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.48 earnings per share. World Kinect’s revenue 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. Analysts anticipate that World Kinect Corporation will post 2.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

World Kinect Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 30th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 30th. World Kinect’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -7.84%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Paul H. Stebbins sold 20,828 shares of the firm’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 value of $576,727.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 40,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,126,124.61. This trade represents a 33.87% 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. Also, Director Richard A. Kassar sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.97, for a total transaction of $269,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 97,928 shares of company stock valued at $2,773,265 over the last ninety days. 3.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On World Kinect

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in World Kinect by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,713,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,297,000 after buying an additional 62,111 shares in the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its stake in World Kinect by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 3,845,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,106,000 after buying an additional 907,490 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in World Kinect by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,450,762 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,597,000 after buying an additional 213,145 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management grew its stake in World Kinect by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,938,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,426,000 after buying an additional 198,076 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in World Kinect by 373.8% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,602,996 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,598,000 after buying an additional 1,264,684 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.