Marston’s (LON:MARS) Stock Price Down 13.4% – What’s Next?

Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS)’s share price was down 13.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 59.70. Approximately 107,206,734 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 1,216% from the average daily volume of 8,147,116 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MARS. Panmure Gordon reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 80 price target on shares of Marston’s in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Marston’s from GBX 78 to GBX 85 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Shore Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Marston’s in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Peel Hunt reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 75 price target on shares of Marston’s in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 80.

Marston’s Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 61.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 48.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization of £381.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68.

Marston’s (LON:MARS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 15th. The company reported GBX 8.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Marston’s had a negative net margin of 1.91% and a negative return on equity of 2.72%. On average, analysts predict that Marston’s PLC will post 8.364486 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Marston’s

In related news, insider Justin Platt purchased 158,309 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 59 per share, with a total value of £93,402.31. 1.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Marston’s

Marston’s PLC operates managed, franchised, tenanted, partnership, and leased pubs in the United Kingdom. It is also involved in the property management; telecommunications; and insurance businesses. The company was formerly known as The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries PLC and changed its name to Marston’s PLC in January 2007. The company was founded in 1834 and is based in Wolverhampton, the United Kingdom.