Franklin Resources Inc. Cuts Stake in WillScot Holdings Corporation $WSC

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of WillScot Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:WSC) by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,249,440 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,511,418 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 3.43% of WillScot worth $171,235,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WSC. CWM LLC boosted its position in WillScot by 89.9% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 827 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of WillScot by 45.1% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 2,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 662 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of WillScot in the 1st quarter valued at about $80,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in WillScot during the 1st quarter valued at about $99,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in WillScot by 69.4% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,940 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 1,614 shares during the last quarter. 95.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of WillScot in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of WillScot from $22.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $22.00 price target on shares of WillScot and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of WillScot in a report on Monday, October 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of WillScot from $32.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $27.13.

WillScot Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WSC opened at $17.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.88. The stock has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.15. WillScot Holdings Corporation has a twelve month low of $14.91 and a twelve month high of $39.81.

WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $566.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $583.52 million. WillScot had a net margin of 9.64% and a return on equity of 23.09%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.38 EPS. WillScot has set its Q4 2025 guidance at EPS. FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that WillScot Holdings Corporation will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

WillScot Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 3rd. WillScot’s payout ratio is presently 23.14%.

WillScot Company Profile

WillScot Holdings Corporation provides workspace and portable storage solutions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It operates in two segments, Modular Solutions and Storage Solutions. Its modular solutions include panelized and stackable offices, single-wide modular space units, section modulars and redi-plex, classrooms, ground level offices, blast-resistant modules, clearspan structures, and other modular space; and portable storage solutions, such as portable and cold storage containers, as well as trailers.