Waddell & Reed Financial (NYSE:WDR) was upgraded by stock analysts at ValuEngine from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.
Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $14.00 target price on Waddell & Reed Financial and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup lowered Waddell & Reed Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 14th. Zacks Investment Research lowered Waddell & Reed Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 6th. Credit Suisse Group lowered their price target on Waddell & Reed Financial from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $17.00 price target on Waddell & Reed Financial and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Waddell & Reed Financial has a consensus rating of “Sell” and a consensus price target of $19.17.
Get Waddell & Reed Financial alerts:NYSE:WDR traded down $0.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $16.89. The company had a trading volume of 1,029,900 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,287,452. Waddell & Reed Financial has a fifty-two week low of $16.01 and a fifty-two week high of $21.83. The company has a current ratio of 4.04, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.41, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.44.
Waddell & Reed Financial (NYSE:WDR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.11. Waddell & Reed Financial had a return on equity of 20.81% and a net margin of 15.82%. The firm had revenue of $272.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $273.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.36 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Waddell & Reed Financial will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.
In other Waddell & Reed Financial news, Director Jerry W. Walton sold 9,427 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.05, for a total value of $179,584.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waddell & Reed Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Waddell & Reed Financial by 968.8% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,243 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 3,846 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of Waddell & Reed Financial by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,744 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 1,012 shares in the last quarter. Zeke Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waddell & Reed Financial during the third quarter worth about $204,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Waddell & Reed Financial during the third quarter worth about $233,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.19% of the company’s stock.
Waddell & Reed Financial Company Profile
Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides investment management and advisory, investment product underwriting and distribution, and shareholder services administration to mutual funds, and institutional and separately managed accounts in the United States. The company acts as an investment adviser for institutional and other private investors, and provides sub advisory services to other investment companies; and underwrites and distributes registered open-end mutual fund portfolios.
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