J Sainsbury (LON:SBRY) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

J Sainsbury plc (LON:SBRY) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as GBX 358.20 and last traded at GBX 357.20, with a volume of 8178870 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 355.20.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SBRY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Shore Capital Group reissued a “house stock” rating on shares of J Sainsbury in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of J Sainsbury from GBX 350 to GBX 345 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of J Sainsbury from GBX 366 to GBX 360 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of J Sainsbury from GBX 330 to GBX 310 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 330.

J Sainsbury Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 95.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 327.10 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 323.51. The stock has a market capitalization of £7.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.33, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Katie Bickerstaffe acquired 5,534 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 309 per share, with a total value of £17,100.06. Also, insider Simon Roberts sold 30,340 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 308, for a total value of £93,447.20. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

About J Sainsbury

J Sainsbury plc is one of the UK’s leading food, general merchandise and clothing retailers.

Offering delicious, great quality food at competitive prices has been at the heart of what we do since we opened our first store in 1869. Today, inspiring and delighting our customers with tasty food remains our priority. Our purpose is that driven by our passion for food, together we serve and help every customer.

Our focus on great value food and convenient shopping, whether in-store or online is supported by our brands – Argos, Habitat, Tu, Nectar and Sainsbury’s Bank.