Federated Hermes Inc. Has $61.80 Million Stake in WEX Inc. $WEX

Federated Hermes Inc. reduced its stake in shares of WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 392,280 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 9,843 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in WEX were worth $61,796,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Boston Partners acquired a new position in shares of WEX during the 2nd quarter valued at about $187,102,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in WEX during the second quarter worth approximately $42,812,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in WEX by 158.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 350,892 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $55,097,000 after purchasing an additional 215,036 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of WEX by 20.9% in the second quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 797,871 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $117,199,000 after purchasing an additional 137,673 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of WEX by 1,660.4% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 93,353 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,713,000 after buying an additional 88,050 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.47% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of WEX to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of WEX in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded WEX from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. UBS Group cut their price objective on WEX from $185.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Bank of America raised WEX from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $178.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, WEX currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $170.25.

Key WEX News

Here are the key news stories impacting WEX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: WEX launched a fleet card that unifies fueling and public EV charging payments — a product move that addresses EV adoption, broadens payment solutions for fleet customers and could help revenue retention/attrition. WEX Unveils Fleet Card Unifying Fueling and Public EV Charging Payments
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage with a neutral/hold view — this provides coverage but is not a positive catalyst and may limit investor enthusiasm until clearer growth proof. Cantor Fitzgerald initiates coverage of WEX with neutral recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street models expect earnings growth for the quarter, but one preview notes WEX may lack the dual drivers that typically produce an earnings beat — sets expectations for a modest print and makes guidance the key focus. Wex (WEX) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Market previews note WEX is set to report Q4 results next week — this event is the main near-term catalyst; investors should watch payment volumes, margins, and FY guidance for driver clarity. WEX Gears Up to Report Q4 Earnings: What’s in the Cards?
• Neutral Sentiment: News outlets note WEX is expected to announce quarterly earnings on Wednesday — reinforces timing of the key catalyst. WEX Expected to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday
• Neutral Sentiment: Separate item flagged an analyst move to “hold”/upgrade-to-hold (coverage summaries linked) — another sign of cautious analyst positioning. Analyst Upgrade to Hold / Coverage Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: A TipRanks bulletin refers to a different company (Western Exploration, ticker WEX on the TSE); investors should avoid ticker confusion between WEX (NYSE) and unrelated tickers. Western Exploration Advances Permitting (different WEX)
• Negative Sentiment: A feature asking whether investors should reassess WEX after a one‑year share price slide highlights downside concerns — this framing can increase selling pressure if the earnings/guidance disappoint. Is It Time To Reassess WEX After A 1‑Year Share Price Slide?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Robert Joseph Deshaies sold 1,506 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.62, for a total value of $225,327.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,699 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,348,884.38. This represents a 8.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen Montgomery Smith purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $144.25 per share, for a total transaction of $144,250.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 7,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,149,816.75. This represents a 14.35% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

WEX Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of WEX opened at $157.80 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. WEX Inc. has a 52 week low of $110.45 and a 52 week high of $188.70.

WEX (NYSE:WEX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $4.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $691.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $678.25 million. WEX had a return on equity of 45.10% and a net margin of 10.81%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.35 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that WEX Inc. will post 14.09 earnings per share for the current year.

WEX Profile

WEX Inc is a global financial technology company specializing in business payment solutions for fleet, travel, and corporate payments. The company delivers software-driven platforms and card-based services that help businesses automate payment processes, manage expenses and improve operational efficiency across a range of industries, including transportation, healthcare and government.

Founded in 1983 as Wright Express in Portland, Maine, the company began by offering fuel card services to trucking fleets.