Newell Brands (NASDAQ:NWL) Trading Up 5% – Here’s Why

Shares of Newell Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:NWL) rose 5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $6.75 and last traded at $6.78. Approximately 3,126,956 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 7,783,701 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NWL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup cut their target price on Newell Brands from $10.50 to $7.75 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Newell Brands from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Newell Brands from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on shares of Newell Brands from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Newell Brands from $9.50 to $10.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.81.

Newell Brands Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market cap of $2.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $9.33 and its 200 day moving average is $8.63.

Newell Brands (NASDAQ:NWL) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. Newell Brands had a positive return on equity of 9.76% and a negative net margin of 2.85%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.22 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Newell Brands Inc. will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Newell Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.11%. Newell Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently -53.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Newell Brands news, insider Tracy L. Platt sold 23,343 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.31, for a total transaction of $240,666.33. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Newell Brands

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Newell Brands by 4.4% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,959,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,050,000 after acquiring an additional 82,337 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Newell Brands by 751.9% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 100,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $999,000 after purchasing an additional 88,483 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Newell Brands by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,233,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,476,000 after purchasing an additional 88,164 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP grew its holdings in shares of Newell Brands by 135.6% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 98,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $758,000 after buying an additional 56,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of Newell Brands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $762,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.50% of the company’s stock.

Newell Brands Company Profile

Newell Brands Inc engages in the design, manufacture, sourcing, and distribution of consumer and commercial products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Home and Commercial Solutions, Learning and Development, and Outdoor and Recreation. The Commercial Solutions segment provides commercial cleaning and maintenance solution products under the Rubbermaid, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Mapa, and Spontex brands; closet and garage organization products; hygiene systems and material handling solutions; household products, such as kitchen appliances under the Crockpot, Mr.