WisdomTree (NYSE:WT) Cut to Neutral at Northcoast Research

Northcoast Research downgraded shares of WisdomTree (NYSE:WT) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note published on Thursday morning, MarketBeat reports.

Separately, UBS Group lifted their price target on WisdomTree from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $12.79.

WisdomTree Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WT opened at $10.15 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.00 and a beta of 1.46. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.45. WisdomTree has a 52-week low of $6.57 and a 52-week high of $12.45. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

WisdomTree Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th were paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 6th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. WisdomTree’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Peter M. Ziemba sold 100,000 shares of WisdomTree stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.43, for a total value of $1,143,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 948,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,840,051.98. This trade represents a 9.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jonathan L. Steinberg acquired 67,869 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $10.84 per share, for a total transaction of $735,699.96. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,240,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $100,169,263.88. This represents a 0.74 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WisdomTree

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WT. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in WisdomTree by 26.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 708,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,081,000 after buying an additional 150,257 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in shares of WisdomTree during the third quarter worth about $888,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its position in shares of WisdomTree by 589.2% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 249,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,491,000 after acquiring an additional 213,086 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of WisdomTree by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,914,051 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,117,000 after acquiring an additional 93,140 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in WisdomTree by 201.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 268,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,684,000 after purchasing an additional 179,493 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.64% of the company’s stock.

About WisdomTree

WisdomTree, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an exchange-traded funds (ETFs) sponsor and asset manager. It offers ETFs in equities, currency, fixed income, and alternatives asset classes. The company also licenses its indexes to third parties for proprietary products, as well as offers a platform to promote the use of WisdomTree ETFs in 401(k) plans.