WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 720.50.

SMWH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on WH Smith from GBX 675 to GBX 650 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on WH Smith from GBX 762 to GBX 680 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th.

WH Smith Stock Performance

LON SMWH opened at GBX 503.61 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of £627.98 million, a PE ratio of -5.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 551.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 617.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 846.40, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.42. WH Smith has a 1-year low of GBX 445.40 and a 1-year high of GBX 1,132.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported GBX (20) earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of £748 million for the quarter. WH Smith had a negative net margin of 9.48% and a negative return on equity of 90.46%. On average, research analysts predict that WH Smith will post 100.9372747 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at WH Smith

In related news, insider Leo Quinn purchased 17,764 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 560 per share, for a total transaction of £99,478.40. 1.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.