Marston’s (LON:MARS) Trading Down 13.4% – Here’s What Happened

Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS)’s share price traded down 13.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 59.70. 107,206,734 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 1,216% from the average session volume of 8,147,116 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

More Marston’s News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marston’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company reported a stronger Christmas performance and c.4.0% like‑for‑like sales growth, supporting recovery in trading momentum. Marston’s reports strong festive trading with 4.0% like-for-like sales growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management says an accelerated roll‑out of new pub formats is delivering further trading momentum, which supports medium‑term growth prospects. Marston’s ‘accelerated roll-out programme driving further trading momentum’
• Positive Sentiment: New industry‑first induction programme for pub partners aims to attract and retain operators — a structural move to improve operator quality and execution. Marston’s introduces industry first induction programme for pub partners
• Neutral Sentiment: Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on the stock, providing an independent positive analyst signal but not enough to prevent heavy selling today. Broker Ratings
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat festive read, markets focused on a mixed/flat quarterly sales picture in the update; several outlets report a sharp intraday sell‑off (shares plunged). That disconnect (good seasonal LFL but flat quarterly context) triggered heavy selling. Marston’s shares plunge 16% on flat quarterly sales
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also likely concerned by the balance‑sheet and liquidity profile (high debt-to-equity and low current/quick ratios), which amplifies downside risk if trading disappoints. Market headlines note shares fell sharply despite the festive sales beat. Marston’s reports strong festive sales but shares slide

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Marston’s Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of £375.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is GBX 60.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 48.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96.

Marston’s (LON:MARS) last issued its 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%. Analysts predict that Marston’s PLC will post 8.364486 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Marston’s

In related news, insider Justin Platt acquired 158,309 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 24th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 59 per share, for a total transaction of £93,402.31. Insiders own 1.32% of the company’s stock.

About Marston’s

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.