WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Hits New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as GBX 585 and last traded at GBX 588.78, with a volume of 133641 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 603.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Berenberg Bank reduced their price target on shares of WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 667 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of WH Smith from GBX 750 to GBX 800 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Peel Hunt restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 800 price target on shares of WH Smith in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 868.60.

WH Smith Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of £726.97 million, a P/E ratio of -5.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 872.78, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 658.81 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 666.23.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported GBX (14.20) EPS for the quarter. WH Smith had a negative net margin of 9.27% and a negative return on equity of 62.07%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that WH Smith PLC will post 100.9372747 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at WH Smith

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