Marston’s (LON:MARS) Shares Down 13.4% – What’s Next?

Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS) traded down 13.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 59.70. 107,206,734 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 1,216% from the average session volume of 8,147,116 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MARS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Marston’s from GBX 78 to GBX 85 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Panmure Gordon reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 80 price target on shares of Marston’s in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Peel Hunt reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 75 price objective on shares of Marston’s in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Marston’s in a research report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Marston’s currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 80.

Marston’s Stock Down 0.2%

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 61.09 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 48.48. 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 price-to-earnings ratio of 5.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Marston’s

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

Marston’s Company Profile

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.