Marston’s (LON:MARS) Trading Down 11.6% – What’s Next?

Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS)’s stock price traded down 11.6% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 60.90. 64,570,074 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 994% from the average session volume of 5,903,081 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

Trending Headlines about Marston’s

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Marston’s Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of £383.10 million, a PE ratio of 5.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 60.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 48.19.

Marston’s (LON:MARS) last issued 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 net margin of 1.91% and a negative return on equity of 2.72%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marston’s PLC will post 8.364486 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Marston’s

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