Marston’s (LON:MARS) Trading Down 12.8% – Here’s Why

Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS)’s share price fell 12.8% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 60.06. 66,173,086 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 1,005% from the average session volume of 5,987,450 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Marston’s Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 60.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 48.36. The company has a market capitalization of £381.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.44, a P/E/G ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Marston’s PLC will post 8.364486 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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 purchased at an average cost of GBX 59 per share, for a total transaction of £93,402.31. 1.32% of the stock is currently owned by 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.