WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Hits New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as GBX 387.40 and last traded at GBX 390.90, with a volume of 1094101 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 400.39.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SMWH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a GBX 600 target price on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Friday, June 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 575 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Berenberg Bank cut their price objective on shares of WH Smith from GBX 574 to GBX 420 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on shares of WH Smith from GBX 680 to GBX 555 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of WH Smith from GBX 675 to GBX 650 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, WH Smith has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of GBX 570.

WH Smith Trading Up 3.5%

The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1,244.71. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 505.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 589.16. The company has a market capitalization of £494.54 million, a PE ratio of -4.10, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.92.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported GBX (20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. WH Smith had a negative return on equity of 105.35% and a negative net margin of 9.48%.The company had revenue of £748 million during the quarter. Analysts predict that WH Smith PLC will post 100.9372747 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at WH Smith

In other news, insider Situl Jobanputra bought 3,658 shares of WH Smith stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 410 per share, with a total value of £14,997.80. Also, insider Leo Quinn bought 365,853 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 410 per share, for a total transaction of £1,499,997.30. Insiders have bought a total of 438,494 shares of company stock valued at $182,447,140 in the last three months. 1.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.