WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 570.

SMWH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on WH Smith from GBX 550 to GBX 390 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on WH Smith from GBX 680 to GBX 555 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on WH Smith from GBX 675 to GBX 650 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 575 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Berenberg Bank decreased their price target on WH Smith from GBX 574 to GBX 420 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 16th.

WH Smith Price Performance

Shares of SMWH stock opened at GBX 400.40 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is GBX 492.96 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 583.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1,244.71, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of £499.28 million, a PE ratio of -4.14, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.92. WH Smith has a 52 week low of GBX 378.60 and a 52 week high of GBX 1,132.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) last announced 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 return on equity of 105.35% and a negative net margin of 9.48%. Equities research analysts expect that WH Smith will post 100.9372747 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Simon Emeny purchased 2,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 410 per share, for a total transaction of £9,999.90. Also, insider Helen Rose purchased 12,195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 410 per share, for a total transaction of £49,999.50. Insiders have purchased 438,494 shares of company stock valued at $182,447,140 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.05% of the company’s stock.

WH Smith Company Profile

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.