Whitbread plc (LON:WTB) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Whitbread plc (LON:WTB – Get Rating) have earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 3,687.14 ($46.53).

WTB has been the subject of several analyst reports. Peel Hunt restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 4,000 ($50.47) price target on shares of Whitbread in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Numis Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 3,510 ($44.29) price objective on shares of Whitbread in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 3,500 ($44.16) price objective on shares of Whitbread in a research note on Tuesday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a GBX 4,200 ($53.00) price target on shares of Whitbread in a research note on Monday, January 16th.

Whitbread Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of LON:WTB opened at GBX 3,210 ($40.50) on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of GBX 3,051.73 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 2,882.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 120.44, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.58. Whitbread has a 52-week low of GBX 2,245.51 ($28.33) and a 52-week high of GBX 3,649.99 ($46.06). The firm has a market capitalization of £6.47 billion, a PE ratio of 2,326.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 1.09.

Whitbread Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 25th will be given a dividend of GBX 49.80 ($0.63) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.59%. This is an increase from Whitbread’s previous dividend of $24.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 25th. Whitbread’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5,362.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Dame Karen Jones acquired 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 3,140 ($39.62) per share, for a total transaction of £8,635 ($10,895.90). In related news, insider Dame Karen Jones purchased 275 shares of Whitbread stock in a transaction on Monday, February 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 3,140 ($39.62) per share, for a total transaction of £8,635 ($10,895.90). Also, insider Cilla Snowball purchased 2,258 shares of Whitbread stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 3,078 ($38.84) per share, for a total transaction of £69,501.24 ($87,698.73). Insiders own 3.14% of the company’s stock.

Whitbread Company Profile

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Whitbread plc operates hotels and restaurants in the United Kingdom, Germany, and internationally. It operates approximately 841 hotels with 82,286 rooms in the United Kingdom; 10 hotels in the Middle East; and 35 hotels with 5,875 rooms in Germany under the Premier Inn, ZIP by Premier Inn, and hub by Premier Inn brands.