WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) shares hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 406.16 and last traded at GBX 412.37, with a volume of 3884360 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 491.20.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on SMWH shares. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target 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. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 600 price target on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on WH Smith from GBX 675 to GBX 650 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of GBX 703.29.

WH Smith Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is GBX 533.97 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 603.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 846.40, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of £545.42 million, a PE ratio of -4.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.92.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at WH Smith

In other news, insider Helen Rose bought 12,195 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 410 per share, with a total value of £49,999.50. Also, insider Max Izzard bought 36,585 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 410 per share, for a total transaction of £149,998.50. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 438,494 shares of company stock worth $182,447,140. 1.05% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.