Marston’s’ (MARS) “Buy” Rating Reaffirmed at Shore Capital

Shore Capital reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Marston’s (LON:MARS) in a research report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on MARS. Peel Hunt reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 75 price objective on shares of Marston’s in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Marston’s from GBX 78 to GBX 85 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Panmure Gordon reissued a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 80 target price on shares of Marston’s in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of GBX 80.

Marston’s Trading Down 13.4%

Shares of Marston’s stock opened at GBX 59.70 on Wednesday. Marston’s has a 1 year low of GBX 31.10 and a 1 year high of GBX 69.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 60.61 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 48.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of £377.55 million, a PE ratio of 5.38, a P/E/G ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68.

Marston’s (LON:MARS) last released its earnings results on Monday, December 15th. The company reported GBX 8.50 earnings per share for the quarter. Marston’s had a negative net margin of 1.91% and a negative return on equity of 2.72%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marston’s will post 8.364486 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Marston’s

In other news, insider Justin Platt purchased 158,309 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 59 per share, for a total transaction of £93,402.31. Corporate insiders own 1.32% of the company’s stock.

Marston’s News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Marston’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company reported a stronger Christmas performance and c.4.0% like‑for‑like sales growth, supporting recovery in trading momentum. Marston’s reports strong festive trading with 4.0% like-for-like sales growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management says an accelerated roll‑out of new pub formats is delivering further trading momentum, which supports medium‑term growth prospects. Marston’s ‘accelerated roll-out programme driving further trading momentum’
• Positive Sentiment: New industry‑first induction programme for pub partners aims to attract and retain operators — a structural move to improve operator quality and execution. Marston’s introduces industry first induction programme for pub partners
• Neutral Sentiment: Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on the stock, providing an independent positive analyst signal but not enough to prevent heavy selling today. Broker Ratings
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat festive read, markets focused on a mixed/flat quarterly sales picture in the update; several outlets report a sharp intraday sell‑off (shares plunged). That disconnect (good seasonal LFL but flat quarterly context) triggered heavy selling. Marston’s shares plunge 16% on flat quarterly sales
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also likely concerned by the balance‑sheet and liquidity profile (high debt-to-equity and low current/quick ratios), which amplifies downside risk if trading disappoints. Market headlines note shares fell sharply despite the festive sales beat. Marston’s reports strong festive sales but shares slide

Marston’s Company Profile

Marston’s PLC operates managed, franchised, tenanted, partnership, and leased pubs in the United Kingdom. It is also involved in the property management; telecommunications; and insurance businesses. The company was formerly known as The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries PLC and changed its name to Marston’s PLC in January 2007. The company was founded in 1834 and is based in Wolverhampton, the United Kingdom.