Bunzl (LON:BNZL) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Bunzl plc (LON:BNZL) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as GBX 2,894 ($37.53) and last traded at GBX 2,898 ($37.58), with a volume of 946116 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,966 ($38.46).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on BNZL shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of Bunzl to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a GBX 2,800 ($36.31) price target on shares of Bunzl in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Shore Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Bunzl in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Bunzl from GBX 3,980 ($51.61) to GBX 4,150 ($53.82) and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Bunzl has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of GBX 3,375 ($43.77).

Bunzl Trading Down 2.6 %

The company’s 50-day moving average is GBX 3,320.55 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 3,418.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 123.00. The firm has a market cap of £9.45 billion, a PE ratio of 19.98, a P/E/G ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.45.

Bunzl (LON:BNZL) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The company reported GBX 194.30 ($2.52) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Bunzl had a return on equity of 16.82% and a net margin of 4.20%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Bunzl plc will post 213.3413462 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bunzl news, insider Frank van Zanten purchased 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 3,037 ($39.39) per share, with a total value of £121,480 ($157,541.17). Corporate insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Bunzl Company Profile

Bunzl plc operates as a distribution and services company in the North America, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company offers food packaging, films, labels, cleaning and hygiene supplies, and personal protection equipment to grocery stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores.