Shore Capital Reiterates Buy Rating for Marston’s (LON:MARS)

Marston’s (LON:MARS)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by analysts at Shore Capital in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Peel Hunt restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 75 price target on shares of Marston’s in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Marston’s from GBX 78 to GBX 85 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Panmure Gordon restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 80 price target on shares of Marston’s in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of GBX 80.

Marston’s Price Performance

MARS stock opened at GBX 60.50 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 60.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 48.36. The stock has a market cap of £382.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.45, a P/E/G ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68. Marston’s has a 1 year low of GBX 31.10 and a 1 year high of GBX 69.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Marston’s (LON:MARS) last posted 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Marston’s will post 8.364486 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marston’s

In other Marston’s news, insider Justin Platt acquired 158,309 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 59 per share, with a total value of £93,402.31. Company insiders own 1.32% of the company’s stock.

Marston’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Festive trading beat expectations — like‑for‑like sales rose ~4% over the Christmas period and Marston’s says new pub formats and an accelerated roll‑out are driving momentum, supporting the company’s revenue recovery narrative. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broker support remains — Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating, giving some analyst backing that can limit downside after the stock’s volatility. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor debate continues — commentary pieces (including a rebuttal to an activist investor) keep the strategic discussion alive but don’t materially change fundamentals in the near term. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Market punished the update because a broader quarterly sales reading was described as flat and said to lag rivals — several outlets reported sharp intraday drops (reports of a 12–16% fall), reflecting investor disappointment that strong festive pockets may not yet translate into consistently stronger quarterly sales. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Balance‑sheet and profitability risks remain — the group has high leverage and reported negative net margin/ROE metrics, which increase sensitivity to earnings disappointments and help explain the wide price swings despite upbeat seasonal sales. Article Title

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.