43,870 Shares in Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ:WMG) Purchased by XTX Topco Ltd

XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ:WMG - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 43,870 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,373,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in Warner Music Group by 2,699.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 8,217,467 shares of the company's stock worth $257,207,000 after acquiring an additional 7,923,926 shares during the period. Independent Franchise Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Warner Music Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $160,156,000. D1 Capital Partners L.P. bought a new position in shares of Warner Music Group in the second quarter worth $84,281,000. Darlington Partners Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Warner Music Group by 47.4% in the second quarter. Darlington Partners Capital Management LP now owns 8,072,372 shares of the company's stock worth $247,418,000 after buying an additional 2,594,994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its stake in Warner Music Group by 19.6% during the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 5,061,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,122,000 after buying an additional 831,114 shares during the period. 96.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Warner Music Group Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of Warner Music Group stock traded down $0.47 on Monday, hitting $31.94. The stock had a trading volume of 1,201,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,795,104. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $32.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.63. Warner Music Group Corp. has a one year low of $27.06 and a one year high of $38.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.95. The stock has a market cap of $16.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.49, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.35.

Warner Music Group (NASDAQ:WMG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.59 billion. Warner Music Group had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 69.29%. Warner Music Group's revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.34 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Warner Music Group Corp. will post 1.34 EPS for the current year.

Warner Music Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. Warner Music Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 86.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup upped their target price on Warner Music Group from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Warner Music Group from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Warner Music Group from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Macquarie reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of Warner Music Group in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Warner Music Group from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $35.67.

Insider Transactions at Warner Music Group

In related news, CEO Max Lousada sold 428,834 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total value of $12,007,352.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,289,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at $64,113,588. This represents a 15.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 73.35% of the company's stock.

Warner Music Group Profile

Warner Music Group Corp. operates as a music entertainment company in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and internationally. It operates through Recorded Music and Music Publishing segments. The Recorded Music segment is involved in the discovery and development of recording artists, as well as related marketing, promotion, distribution, sale, and licensing of music created by such recording artists; markets its music catalog through compilations and reissuances of previously released music and video titles, as well as previously unreleased materials; and conducts its operation primarily through a collection of record labels, such as Warner Records and Atlantic Records, as well as Asylum, Big Beat, Canvasback, East West, Erato, FFRR, Fueled by Ramen, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Roadrunner, Sire, Spinnin' Records, Warner Classics, and Warner Music Nashville.