Whitbread (LON:WTB) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Whitbread plc (LON:WTB)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,737.79 ($36.87) and traded as high as GBX 2,780 ($37.44). Whitbread shares last traded at GBX 2,758 ($37.14), with a volume of 559,095 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WTB shares. Shore Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Whitbread in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Whitbread to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Whitbread from GBX 3,700 ($49.82) to GBX 3,300 ($44.44) and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 2,860 ($38.51).

Whitbread Trading Up 0.3%

The company’s 50-day moving average is GBX 2,740.87 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 2,737.79. The firm has a market cap of £4.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.39, a P/E/G ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 33.18, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Whitbread (LON:WTB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported GBX 194.60 ($2.62) earnings per share for the quarter. Whitbread had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 8.08%. On average, research analysts predict that Whitbread plc will post 227.1851852 earnings per share for the current year.

Whitbread announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 1st that permits the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Dominic Paul sold 3,206 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 2,790 ($37.57), for a total transaction of £89,447.40 ($120,451.66). Also, insider Kal Atwal acquired 269 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 2,843 ($38.28) per share, with a total value of £7,647.67 ($10,298.51). Company insiders own 1.03% of the company’s stock.

Whitbread Company Profile

Whitbread is the owner of Premier Inn, the UK’s biggest
hotel brand, with 86,000 rooms in over 850 hotels
and a growing presence in Germany with 10,500 rooms in
59 hotels, offering quality accommodation at affordable
prices in great locations.

People are at the heart of our business. We employ over
38,000 team members in over 900 Premier Inn hotels
across the UK and Germany.