Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 416.43.

A number of research firms have weighed in on MKS. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Marks and Spencer Group to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from GBX 412 to GBX 415 in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 440 price target on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Marks and Spencer Group to GBX 430 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Shore Capital Group restated a “house stock” rating on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Thursday, February 5th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Stuart Machin sold 150,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 404, for a total value of £606,000. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marks and Spencer Group Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of LON MKS opened at GBX 325.34 on Friday. The company has a market cap of £6.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 361.49, a PEG ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 1.04. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 371.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 361.62. Marks and Spencer Group has a 1 year low of GBX 315.30 and a 1 year high of GBX 417.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 121.22, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.42.

Marks and Spencer Group Company Profile

M&S has a heritage of quality, innovation and value for money and has been voted the UK’s most trusted brand. From these foundations, M&S is reshaping for sustainable profitable growth and value creation.

We operate as a family of businesses, selling high-quality, great-value, own-brand products and services, alongside a carefully selected range of third-party brands. We do this through a network of stores and websites globally, and together, across our stores, support centres, warehouses and supply chain, our 65,000 colleagues serve over 30 million customers each year.