WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 868.60.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SMWH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of WH Smith from GBX 750 to GBX 800 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Berenberg Bank lowered their target price on WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 667 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 19th. Finally, Peel Hunt reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 800 price target on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Friday, December 19th.

WH Smith Price Performance

Shares of LON SMWH opened at GBX 684.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 253.13. The company has a market capitalization of £853.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.67. WH Smith has a twelve month low of GBX 585.50 and a twelve month high of GBX 1,246.10. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 658.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 709.14.

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 return on equity of 17.78% and a net margin of 3.44%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that WH Smith will post 100.9372747 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other WH Smith news, insider Max Izzard acquired 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 675 per share, with a total value of £168,750. Also, insider Helen Rose bought 7,972 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 627 per share, for a total transaction of £49,984.44. Insiders acquired 32,992 shares of company stock worth $21,886,244 over the last quarter. 1.03% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.