WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Insider Helen Rose Acquires 7,972 Shares of Stock

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) insider Helen Rose bought 7,972 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 627 per share, for a total transaction of £49,984.44.

WH Smith Trading Up 0.9%

LON SMWH opened at GBX 635.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of £792.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.67. The company’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 651.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 784.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 253.13, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.42. WH Smith PLC has a 12 month low of GBX 585.50 and a 12 month high of GBX 1,315.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) last posted its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported GBX (14.20) EPS for the quarter. WH Smith had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 17.78%. As a group, research analysts predict that WH Smith PLC will post 100.9372747 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on SMWH shares. Berenberg Bank cut WH Smith to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from GBX 1,600 to GBX 700 in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of WH Smith from GBX 750 to GBX 800 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Peel Hunt reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 800 price objective on shares of WH Smith in a report on Friday, December 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 875.20.

About WH Smith

WH Smith PLC operates as a retailer in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates in two segments, Travel and High Street. The Travel segment offers news, books, and convenience for travelling customers. It operates stores in airports, hospitals, railway stations, and motorway service areas. The High Street segment sells stationery products, including greeting cards, general stationery, art and craft, and gifting products; news and impulse products, such as newspapers, magazines, confectionery, and drinks; and books.