Marston’s (LON:MARS) Shares Down 9.8% – Here’s What Happened

Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS) shares fell 9.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 62.12. 59,718,227 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 957% from the average session volume of 5,647,721 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Marston’s Stock Performance

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’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 60.37 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 48.19. The stock has a market capitalization of £383.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68.

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

Insider Activity at Marston’s

In other Marston’s news, insider Justin Platt purchased 158,309 shares of Marston’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 59 per share, for a total transaction of £93,402.31. 1.32% of the stock is owned by 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.