Travis Perkins (LON:TPK) Trading Up 18.4% – Time to Buy?

Travis Perkins plc (LON:TPK)’s share price traded up 18.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 687 and last traded at GBX 678.50. Approximately 2,839,678 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 8% from the average daily volume of 3,102,188 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 573.

Travis Perkins News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Travis Perkins this week:

• Positive Sentiment: First-half profit increased, helped by price increases and cost-reduction measures. The results suggest management is making progress on its turnaround plan and improving margins. Reuters report on Travis Perkins half-year profit
• Positive Sentiment: Operational improvements and a stronger balance sheet provided additional support for the shares, with investors responding to signs that the business is moving in the right direction. Yahoo Finance report on Travis Perkins profitability and balance sheet
• Positive Sentiment: The market reaction reflected confidence in the turnaround: reports said the stock rallied by more than 15% as pricing and efficiency measures supported first-half earnings. Investing.com report on Travis Perkins earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Peel Hunt reaffirmed its “buy” rating, although its GBX 660 price target is below the reported trading level, potentially limiting near-term upside implied by that target. Sharecast broker views
• Neutral Sentiment: Management delivered operational progress, but the recovery in the core merchanting business has yet to arrive. The timing and strength of a construction-market recovery remain key issues for investors. Zonebourse report on Travis Perkins operational progress
• Negative Sentiment: First-half revenue declined because demand across construction-related markets remained soft. This indicates that profit growth was driven primarily by pricing and cost savings rather than stronger underlying volumes. London South East report on Travis Perkins first-half revenue

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Peel Hunt reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 660 target price on shares of Travis Perkins in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Travis Perkins from GBX 507 to GBX 464 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Berenberg Bank dropped their price objective on shares of Travis Perkins from GBX 620 to GBX 580 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Travis Perkins from GBX 680 to GBX 630 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Travis Perkins has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of GBX 616.80.

Travis Perkins Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 59.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 550.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 584.66. The stock has a market capitalization of £1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.15, a P/E/G ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 1.28.

Travis Perkins (LON:TPK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported GBX 15.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Travis Perkins had a negative return on equity of 9.35% and a negative net margin of 3.86%. On average, analysts expect that Travis Perkins plc will post 59.251837 EPS for the current year.

Travis Perkins Company Profile

Travis Perkins plc engages in distribution of building material products in the United Kingdom. It operates through Merchanting and Toolstation segments. The company offers tools and building supplies. It also distributes pipeline products, as well as supplies managed services, and commercial and industrial heating and cooling solutions. In addition, the company provides in specialist civils and drainage solutions; and air-conditioning and refrigeration products and heat pumps. Further, it provides insulation and interior building products to interior building specialists, contractors, and builders; and kitchens and joinery products.