WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 570.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on WH Smith from GBX 680 to GBX 555 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 575 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a GBX 600 target price on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on WH Smith from GBX 675 to GBX 650 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reduced their price target on shares of WH Smith from GBX 574 to GBX 420 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th.

WH Smith Stock Performance

LON SMWH opened at GBX 400.18 on Wednesday. WH Smith has a 52-week low of GBX 378.60 and a 52-week high of GBX 1,120. 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 company has a market capitalization of £602.28 million, a P/E ratio of -4.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a fifty day moving average of GBX 451.60 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 561.94.

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

Insider Transactions at WH Smith

In other WH Smith news, insider Max Izzard acquired 36,585 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 410 per share, for a total transaction of £149,998.50. Also, insider Situl Jobanputra acquired 3,658 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 410 per share, with a total value of £14,997.80. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 443,494 shares of company stock worth $184,437,140. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

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.