World Kinect has been on fire lately. In the past six months alone, the company’s stock price has rocketed 51.8%, reaching $35.92 per share. This was partly due to its solid quarterly results, and the performance may have investors wondering how to approach the situation.
Is now the time to buy World Kinect, or should you be careful about including it in your portfolio? Check out our in-depth research report to see what our analysts have to say, it’s free.
Why Do We Think World Kinect Will Underperform?
We’re glad investors have benefited from the price increase, but we’re cautious about World Kinect. Here are two reasons we avoid WKC, plus one stock we’d rather own.
1. Low Gross Margin Reveals Weak Structural Profitability
In a single quarter or year, gross margins in the sector can swing wildly due to commodity prices, hedging, or changes in labor costs. Over a multi-year period across different points in the cycle, gross margin differences can signal whether a company is a structurally-advantaged producer (“rock” quality, takeaway, operating costs) or not.
World Kinect, which averaged 2.3% gross margin over the last five years, exhibited bottom-tier unit economics in the sector. It means the company will struggle at higher commodity prices than peers with better gross margins.
2. Breakeven Free Cash Flow Limits Reinvestment Potential
Free cash flow isn’t a prominently featured metric in company financials and earnings releases, but we think it’s telling because it accounts for all operating and capital expenses, making it tough to manipulate. Cash is king.
World Kinect broke even from a free cash flow perspective over the last five years, giving the company limited opportunities to return capital to shareholders.
Final Judgment
World Kinect doesn’t pass our quality test. After the recent surge, the stock trades at 12.8× forward P/E (or $35.92 per share). This valuation tells us a lot of optimism is priced in - we think there are better stocks to buy right now. We’d recommend looking at an all-weather company that owns household favorite Taco Bell.
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