WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 868.60.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on WH Smith from GBX 750 to GBX 800 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Peel Hunt restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 800 price target on shares of WH Smith in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reduced their price objective on WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 667 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 19th.

WH Smith Price Performance

Shares of LON:SMWH opened at GBX 684.50 on Friday. The company has a market cap of £853.54 million, a P/E ratio of -6.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 253.13. WH Smith has a 52 week low of GBX 585.50 and a 52 week high of GBX 1,246.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 658.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 709.14.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other WH Smith news, insider Max Izzard bought 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 675 per share, with a total value of £168,750. Also, insider Helen Rose bought 7,972 shares of WH Smith stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 627 per share, for a total transaction of £49,984.44. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 32,992 shares of company stock worth $21,886,244. 1.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

WH Smith Company Profile

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.