Bunzl (LON:BNZL) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Bunzl plc (LON:BNZL) reached a new 52-week high on Monday. The stock traded as high as GBX 2,902 and last traded at GBX 2,902, with a volume of 690,833 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,864.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BNZL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a GBX 2,600 target price on shares of Bunzl in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Bunzl from GBX 2,610 to GBX 2,800 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating and set a GBX 2,300 price target on shares of Bunzl in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Bunzl from GBX 2,730 to GBX 3,000 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of GBX 7,175.

Bunzl Stock Down 0.1%

The company has a market capitalization of £9.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 95.61, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.38. The firm’s fifty day moving average is GBX 2,717.69 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 2,488.39.

Bunzl (LON:BNZL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 1st. The company reported GBX 65.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Bunzl had a net margin of 4.82% and a return on equity of 20.61%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Bunzl plc will post 213.34 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Frank van Zanten purchased 34,946 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 2,630 per share, for a total transaction of £919,079.80. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Bunzl Company Profile

Bunzl plc operates as a distribution and services company in the North America, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company offers food packaging, films, labels, cleaning and hygiene supplies, and personal protection equipment to grocery stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores. It also provides food packaging, disposable tableware, guest amenities, catering equipment, agricultural supplies, cleaning and hygiene products, and safety items to hotels, restaurants, contract caterers, food processors, commercial growers, and the leisure sector; and gloves, boots, hard hats, ear and eye protection, and other workwear, as well as cleaning and hygiene supplies, and asset protection products to industrial and construction, and ecommerce sectors.