Bellway p.l.c. (LON:BWY) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Bellway p.l.c. (LON:BWY) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 3,242.17.

BWY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a GBX 2,900 price objective on shares of Bellway in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Bellway from GBX 3,150 to GBX 3,300 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Bellway in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a GBX 2,844 price objective on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Bellway from GBX 3,090 to GBX 3,100 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Bellway from GBX 3,280 to GBX 3,820 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jason Honeyman sold 19,752 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,767, for a total value of £546,537.84. Also, insider Shane Doherty acquired 2,021 shares of Bellway stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 636 per share, for a total transaction of £12,853.56. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Bellway Trading Up 1.0%

Bellway stock opened at GBX 2,706 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 2,675.25 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 2,588.73. The company has a current ratio of 5.26, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.75. The stock has a market cap of £3.19 billion, a PE ratio of 20.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 1.46. Bellway has a 52 week low of GBX 2,134 and a 52 week high of GBX 2,998.

Bellway (LON:BWY) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The company reported GBX 176.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Bellway had a net margin of 5.48% and a return on equity of 3.78%. Equities research analysts predict that Bellway will post 159.0741715 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bellway declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, October 14th that permits the company to repurchase 0 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Bellway Company Profile

Bellway p.l.c., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the home building business in the United Kingdom. The company builds and sells homes ranging from one-bedroom apartments to six-bedroom family homes, as well as provides homes to housing associations for social housing. It offers homes under Bellway, Ashberry, and Bellway London brands.