WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as GBX 387.40 and last traded at GBX 390.90, with a volume of 1094101 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 400.39.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on SMWH. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 600 price objective on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of WH Smith from GBX 550 to GBX 390 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 575 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut their price objective on WH Smith from GBX 574 to GBX 420 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of GBX 587.86.

WH Smith Trading Down 2.4%

The stock has a market capitalization of £487.43 million, a P/E ratio of -4.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 514.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 593.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1,244.71.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported GBX (20) EPS for the quarter. The business 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 105.35%. Equities research analysts forecast that WH Smith PLC will post 100.9372747 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at WH Smith

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