Marston’s (LON:MARS) Stock Price Down 11.6% – Time to Sell?

Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS)’s stock price dropped 11.6% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 60.90. Approximately 64,059,074 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 990% from the average daily volume of 5,876,187 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on MARS shares. Shore Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Marston’s in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Marston’s from GBX 78 to GBX 85 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Peel Hunt reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 75 price objective on shares of Marston’s in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Panmure Gordon restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 80 target price 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 80.

Marston’s Trading Down 11.9%

The company’s 50-day moving average is GBX 60.37 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 48.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96. The firm has a market cap of £383.88 million, a PE ratio of 5.47, a P/E/G ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68.

Marston’s (LON:MARS) last announced its 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marston’s PLC will post 8.364486 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marston’s news, insider Justin Platt bought 158,309 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 24th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 59 per share, for a total transaction of £93,402.31. 1.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marston’s Company Profile

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.