Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Imperial Brands PLC (LON:IMB)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 3,322 and last traded at GBX 3,322, with a volume of 3103671 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,262.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on IMB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Imperial Brands in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Imperial Brands from GBX 3,600 to GBX 3,700 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Panmure Gordon reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 4,200 price target on shares of Imperial Brands in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Imperial Brands from GBX 3,425 to GBX 3,650 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Imperial Brands from GBX 2,400 to GBX 2,700 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 3,562.50.

Imperial Brands Trading Up 1.8%

The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 166.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 3,130.11 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 3,030.92. The company has a market capitalization of £26.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.33, a PEG ratio of 16.51 and a beta of 0.42.

Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 18th. The company reported GBX 315 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Imperial Brands had a return on equity of 41.84% and a net margin of 11.44%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Imperial Brands PLC will post 246.5723613 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Alan Johnson bought 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 3,066 per share, with a total value of £18,396. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

About Imperial Brands