Brokerages Set WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) PT at GBX 868.60

Shares of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 868.60.

A number of analysts have issued reports on SMWH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on WH Smith from GBX 750 to GBX 800 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Berenberg Bank reduced their price objective on WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 667 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 19th. Finally, Peel Hunt restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 800 price objective on shares of WH Smith in a research note on Friday, December 19th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Helen Rose bought 7,972 shares of WH Smith stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 627 per share, for a total transaction of £49,984.44. Also, insider Max Izzard bought 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 675 per share, for a total transaction of £168,750. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 32,992 shares of company stock worth $21,886,244. Insiders own 1.03% of the company’s stock.

WH Smith Stock Down 2.5%

WH Smith stock opened at GBX 551 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 872.78, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.42. WH Smith has a fifty-two week low of GBX 549 and a fifty-two week high of GBX 1,132. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 647.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 656.04. The firm has a market cap of £687.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.96.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported GBX (14.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. WH Smith had a negative net margin of 9.27% and a negative return on equity of 62.07%. As a group, analysts forecast that WH Smith will post 100.9372747 earnings per share for the current year.

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.