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

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 570.

SMWH has been the subject of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on WH Smith from GBX 550 to GBX 390 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 600 target price on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Friday, June 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 575 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on WH Smith from GBX 680 to GBX 555 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Berenberg Bank dropped their price target on WH Smith from GBX 574 to GBX 420 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th.

Insider Activity at WH Smith

In other news, insider Helen Rose bought 11,102 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 450 per share, with a total value of £49,959. Also, insider Simon Emeny purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 398 per share, for a total transaction of £19,900. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 436,832 shares of company stock valued at $179,485,200. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

WH Smith Price Performance

LON SMWH opened at GBX 430.14 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of £647.36 million, a P/E ratio of -4.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.93. WH Smith has a 1 year low of GBX 378.60 and a 1 year high of GBX 1,120. The business’s fifty day moving average is GBX 421.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 527.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 846.40, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.33.

WH Smith Company Profile

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.