Marston’s (LON:MARS) Shares Down 11.6% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS) dropped 11.6% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 60.90. Approximately 64,059,074 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 990% from the average daily volume of 5,876,187 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MARS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Shore Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Marston’s in a report on Wednesday. Panmure Gordon restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 80 price objective on shares of Marston’s in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Peel Hunt reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 75 price target on shares of Marston’s in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of GBX 80.

Marston’s Stock Down 0.2%

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 60.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 48.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of £381.98 million, a PE ratio of 5.44, a P/E/G ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68.

Marston’s (LON:MARS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, December 15th. The company reported GBX 8.50 earnings per share for the quarter. Marston’s had a negative return on equity of 2.72% and a negative net margin of 1.91%. Research analysts anticipate that Marston’s PLC will post 8.364486 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Justin Platt bought 158,309 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 24th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 59 per share, with a total value of £93,402.31. 1.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.