Max Izzard Buys 25,000 Shares of WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Stock

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) insider Max Izzard bought 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 675 per share, for a total transaction of £168,750.

Max Izzard also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, December 23rd, Max Izzard purchased 20 shares of WH Smith stock. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 640 per share, with a total value of £128.
• On Tuesday, December 23rd, Max Izzard sold 1,704 shares of WH Smith stock. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 637, for a total value of £10,854.48.

WH Smith Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of LON SMWH opened at GBX 675 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of £841.69 million, a P/E ratio of -5.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.67. WH Smith PLC has a 52-week low of GBX 585.50 and a 52-week high of GBX 1,315. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 253.13, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company’s 50 day moving average price is GBX 657.06 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 737.57.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported GBX (14.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. WH Smith had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 17.78%. Equities analysts forecast that WH Smith PLC will post 100.9372747 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on WH Smith from GBX 750 to GBX 800 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Berenberg Bank cut their price objective on shares of WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 667 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 19th. Finally, Peel Hunt reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 800 target price on shares of WH Smith in a report on Friday, December 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, WH Smith presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 868.60.

About WH Smith

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.