NEXT plc (LON:NXT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of NEXT plc (LON:NXT) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is £140.63.

NXT has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of NEXT from £117 to £130.30 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a £142 price objective on shares of NEXT in a report on Friday, September 5th. Peel Hunt reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a £130 target price on shares of NEXT in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Shore Capital cut shares of NEXT to a “hold” rating and upped their target price for the company from £140 to £147.50 in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Berenberg Bank increased their price target on NEXT from £147 to £178 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th.

NEXT Trading Up 1.7%

NXT stock opened at £136.45 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 76.08. NEXT has a twelve month low of GBX 9,028 and a twelve month high of £146.40. The company has a market cap of £15.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.68, a PEG ratio of 5.66 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a fifty day moving average of £137.44 and a 200-day moving average of £127.57.

NEXT (LON:NXT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The company reported GBX 324.20 EPS for the quarter. NEXT had a return on equity of 55.99% and a net margin of 13.77%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that NEXT will post 660.7526882 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Wolfson Aspley Guise sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of £145.20, for a total value of £7,260,000. Also, insider Richard Papp sold 2,518 shares of NEXT stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of £140.44, for a total transaction of £353,627.92. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

NEXT Company Profile

Founded as a tailoring business in Leeds in 1864 by Joseph Hepworth and Son, today, the company offers clothing, footwear, accessories, beauty and home products to our UK and International customers.

NEXT has over 500 stores in the United Kingdom and Eire, and over 180 franchise branches across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.