WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 566.43.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SMWH shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a GBX 600 price objective on shares of WH Smith in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on shares of WH Smith from GBX 555 to GBX 535 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of WH Smith from GBX 550 to GBX 390 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of WH Smith from GBX 575 to GBX 550 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised their target price on shares of WH Smith from GBX 420 to GBX 440 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 17th.

WH Smith Price Performance

Shares of WH Smith stock opened at GBX 369 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 404.31 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 463.44. WH Smith has a twelve month low of GBX 345.60 and a twelve month high of GBX 712. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 846.40. The stock has a market capitalization of £555.35 million, a P/E ratio of -3.82, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Helen Rose bought 11,102 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 450 per share, for a total transaction of £49,959. 1.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About WH Smith

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.