Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 415.33.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MKS. Peel Hunt reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a GBX 360 target price on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Marks and Spencer Group from GBX 450 to GBX 435 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded Marks and Spencer Group to a “sector perform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from GBX 375 to GBX 400 in a research report on Monday, October 20th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 435 price objective on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Thursday, November 6th.

Marks and Spencer Group Price Performance

Shares of LON MKS opened at GBX 332.10 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 95.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 363.89 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 356.52. Marks and Spencer Group has a 52 week low of GBX 315.30 and a 52 week high of GBX 417.80. The stock has a market cap of £6.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 369.00, a PEG ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 1.62.

Marks and Spencer Group (LON:MKS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The retailer reported GBX 6.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Marks and Spencer Group had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 17.23%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marks and Spencer Group will post 26.0113154 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Marks and Spencer Group

In other news, insider Sean Doyle acquired 2,526 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 334 per share, with a total value of £8,436.84. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Marks and Spencer Group

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.