Shore Capital Reiterates “Buy” Rating for Marston’s (LON:MARS)

Marston’s (LON:MARS)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at Shore Capital in a research note issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Peel Hunt restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 75 price target on shares of Marston’s in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Panmure Gordon reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 80 target price on shares of Marston’s in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Marston’s from GBX 78 to GBX 85 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of GBX 80.

Marston’s Trading Down 11.9%

Shares of LON MARS traded down GBX 8.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting GBX 60.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 64,611,738 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,905,274. The firm has a market cap of £383.88 million, a P/E ratio of 5.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68. Marston’s has a 12-month low of GBX 31.10 and a 12-month high of GBX 69.20. The business’s 50 day moving average is GBX 60.37 and its two-hundred 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.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

More Marston’s News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marston’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Group like?for?like sales rose about 4% over the festive period, driven by holiday footfall — a clear demand signal for the pub estate. UK’s Marston’s sales rise 4%, boosted by holiday footfall
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported “strong festive trading” with c.4.0% like?for?like growth, reinforcing the win from seasonal trading and consumer demand. Marston’s reports strong festive trading with 4.0% like-for-like sales growth
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets label this a “bumper Christmas” with group sales up ~4%, supporting revenue momentum heading into the new financial period. Marston’s cheers bumper Christmas as sales rise 4%
• Positive Sentiment: New pub formats are delivering results, suggesting successful execution of the roll?out strategy and potential for improving revenue per site. Marston’s raises a glass to festive performance as new pub formats deliver results
• Positive Sentiment: Initiative to introduce an industry?first induction programme for pub partners aims to attract, develop and retain operators — a potential margin/operational benefit over time. Marston’s introduces industry first induction programme for pub partners
• Neutral Sentiment: An opinion piece argues the activist investor is wrong, defending management strategy — this may reduce activist tail?risk but is unlikely to move the stock materially by itself. Why Marston’s activist investor is wrong
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the sales beat, at least one report notes shares slipped — suggesting investors remain worried about margins, high leverage and whether the sales growth will translate into improved profitability. Marston’s sales boosted by Christmas trading but shares slip

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.