NEXT (LON:NXT) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

NEXT plc (LON:NXT)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as £149.02 and last traded at £148.62, with a volume of 440855 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at £147.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating and set a £180 price target on shares of NEXT in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Shore Capital Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of NEXT in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a £152 price objective on shares of NEXT in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of NEXT from £135.42 to £132 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of £140.97.

NEXT Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 108.79. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of £138.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of £134.21. The stock has a market cap of £16.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.96, a PEG ratio of 5.66 and a beta of 1.04.

Insider Buying and Selling at NEXT

In related news, insider Amy Stirling purchased 375 shares of NEXT stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of £133.06 per share, with a total value of £49,897.50. Also, insider Jonathan Blanchard sold 18,012 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of £148.02, for a total value of £2,666,136.24. Corporate insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

NEXT Company Profile

Founded as a tailoring business in Leeds in 1864 by Joseph Hepworth and Son, today, the company offers clothing, footwear, accessories, beauty and home products to our UK and International customers.

NEXT has over 500 stores in the United Kingdom and Eire, and over 180 franchise branches across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The company’s main divisions are NEXT Online, NEXT Retail and NEXT Finance. We also launched Total Platform, an online, distribution, tech and logistics solution, in 2020.